Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 9th, 2009
My place of birth was in Jamaica, NY in the summer of 1975. However, my parents decided to move me around a bit and where I grew up was actually a lot more south than that. Many times in my youth I visited New York to see my grandmother and wondered (often aloud) what it would be grow up in New York rather the suburbs of a southern state. My grandparents would tell me stories, my dad would tell me stories as well as people within earshot of my curiosity. Films helped in this respect too and another fine film about that experience ended up in my hands.
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints was released in 2006 and is based on the true story of Dito Montiel.
Dito (played by Robert Downey Jr) is a successful writer and lives in California. His book speaks of his youth, living in the heart of New York. After all of these years, his mother Flori (played by Dianne Wiest) calls Dito up and tells him that his father, Monty (played by Chazz Palminteri) is ill and will not go to the hospital. After calls from friends and family, Dito decides to make the journey to New York. In the film and his mind, he really travels back to 1986 when he was just a teenager struggling to get by.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on February 4th, 2009
Hardcore Gamer Demographics, Standoff in Ohio Gamestop and the World of Goo in bankruptcy? - Welcome to the column that held a survey and determined that Morgan Webb should stop trying to be a Barbie doll and go back to her roots known as Dare to Play the Game.
On Thursday of this week, I received my coffin. On Friday, after packing the console securely, the Xbox 360 was sent back to Microsoft (their Mesquite, Tx location). Now come 2-3 of the hardest gaming weeks of my life. I’ve found things to occupy my time ranging from general household chores to pc games (like World of Warcraft) to PS2 games to just spending more time with the love of my life, Sarah. On Warcraft, I decided to finally take my rogue to the Outlands and leveled him to 61. I leveled my mage to 20, for some reason that was more entertaining. Maybe cause I got a whole new set of spells for my mage at 20 and simply got more of the same for my rogue at 61.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on January 28th, 2009
Guitar Hero: Metallica tracklist, Tax Break for Game Developers and the US Senate concerned about Microsoft layoffs - Welcome to the column that had to lay off all of their fact checkers to stay liquid (not that we had any fact checkers before) known as Dare to Play the Game.
It happened. Again. For the second time in roughly 2 ½ years, I got the fatal Xbox 360 blow. The Red Rings of Death. It had glitched a couple of times after the last column and got only worse up until Saturday where it decided to go kaput. I never did get to the five star rating for Fable II Pub Games or completing the 4th episode of Lego Star Wars even though I was clearly within spitting distance. I really miss my 360.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on January 27th, 2009
On July 20th, 1973; Bruce Lee left our world. The world he left was never the same, but somehow his fans and directors carried on in their own way. The fans he left behind were hoping for a great martial artist that could be just as good as the late Bruce Lee. The directors he left behind were hoping to capitalize on the look of Bruce Lee and find one who not only looked like Lee but performed like him. What happened as a result of all this? A whole lot of bad kung-fu films known as Bruceploitation films. These films ranged from the normal to the obscene including one where Bruce Lee fights James Bond & Dracula in Hell. Unfortunately for the Dragon Immortal set, that one did not make it. But this collection brings together ten that did.
This boxset of 10 movies on three discs brings together the best and worst of the films in the Bruceploitation era. Who am I kidding? These are all pretty bad. But let us analyze the wreckage and see if anything is salvageable. There is one movie called Fist of Death (Jackie & Bruce to the Rescue) where the old kung-fu master of the village gets killed by a gang simply known as the YMCA. The YMCA? Are they lead by an Indian and a cowboy who sing about a “Macho Man”? Incidentally the gang's logo says YMGA but every actor in the movie calls them the YMCA. This all leads to some rickshaw driver who plays the Bruce Lee role and beats the gang and saves the day.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on January 27th, 2009
The Cambodia’s K11 red light district might sound to some like a good time. The fact is that the K11 district is home to such horrific acts such as child slavery & prostitution. It’s sleazy, filthy and about as immoral as you could imagine. Guy Moshe decided to tackle this subject when he directed the 2006 movie: Holly. Guy had to make sure that he brought the harsh reality to screen in a proper fashion. In doing so, he made quite possibly the most uncomfortable film this reviewer has seen in a long time.
Patrick (played by Ron Livingston) lives in Cambodia playing cards and getting rid of stolen goods for his pal Freddy (played by Chris Penn). He’s become immune to the effects of the world in chaos around him. Crime is rampant and the Cambodian world is oozing with underage women who are sold in slavery. Then they are forced to work in brothels catering to everybody from locals to the government to travelers who come to the area just for the immoral delights.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on January 21st, 2009
Nintendo has growth issues, Rockers who can't play RockBand and Circuit City is all gone - Welcome to the column that says it is responsible for 99% of the bad jokes against the Wii, Nintendo 64, and Portal known as Dare to Play the Game.
There were essentially three games that I played this week: Lego Star Wars CS, Fable II Pub Games, and RockBand 2. In Lego Star Wars, I played half-way through the 4th episode. I've noticed that the stages are a lot longer and you simply can't zoom through them as much as you would like. I am also up to 270 achievement points, about a 1/3rd of the points we have on Lego Batman (775) but we are slowly getting there. However, I am getting true jedi on every stage and for most, the red-brick. No stud multipliers though which is kinda depressing since I still have a few items in the extras menu, I don't want to waste the coinage on because I would rather spend it elsewhere. Fun game, though I still contend Lego Batman is a better made game. Star Wars just has that nostalgia factor going for it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on January 15th, 2009
In the review business, we often get films that we find to be distasteful or just plain rubbish. This is especially true when we receive a popular star’s directorial debut. Usually it is an egotistical pompous piece with no merit outside to try to drive the idea home that the actor is a well-rounded individual. However, once in a while we get a film that was directed by an established star that actually gave birth to his career. This is a self-promotional piece that got the world to know the person’s name. The name of this person I speak of? That would be Vin Diesel. The movie is called Strays.
Rick (played by Vin Diesel) is trying to change. He is a drug dealer by day and by night he is finding his next female conquest. However, he knows that there is more out there in the world and would like to have a healthy and real relationship with a woman. He has three friends: Fred (played by Joey Dedio), Mike (played by Mike Epps), and Tony (played by F. Valentino Morales). They call themselves: ‘Strays’. They are strays because they didn’t have a father growing up and were lacking in a traditional family structure.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on January 14th, 2009
No Blu-Ray for Xbox, Fallout 3 level cap to 30 & the MMO Crash of 2008 - Welcome to the column that will be going Blu-ray as soon as it figures out how to reconfigure the CPU that resembles a Commodore 64 known as Dare to Play the Game.
Gaming was a weird bag for me this week. I primarily played Lego Star Wars CS and find myself done with Episode 3. Achievements are kinda slow but it is playing very similar to Lego Batman where achievements were slow in the beginning and sped up at the end. I am enjoying myself and haven’t found too many rough spots as I’ve been going through the game. However, I would like to find some stud multipliers before too long. Typically, I have to go through a stage a few times to collect enough studs to buy all of the characters & extras. Makes it a bit frustrating but the % complete constantly increasing still gives me hope.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on January 13th, 2009
Most people know the Chipmunks for three characters: Alvin, Simon and Theodore. This trio was known for a voice that sounded like too many rpm’s at the old record machine. However for the purposes of this disc, the six episodes featured were focused on a trio who was the equivalent of the Chipmunk “B” team. Their names were Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor. They were known as the Chipettes. These are their stories. Dun Dun. (Cue Law & Order music).
Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor were actually introduced in the very 1st half-hour of programming for the Chipmunks during their run in 1983. Originally the two groups both lay claim to the name “Chipmunks”, but they grew to like each other and become on and off again friends and something more. Eleanor was just like Theodore, they both loved to eat and cook. However, Eleanor stood up for herself and was more athletic. Jeanette was an easy pair up with Simon. Both were book smart but Jeanette was clumsier and more of an introvert than Simon was. Finally there was Brittany who as vain and self centered as one Alvin Seville. Together they made the Chipettes and were ready to take on the same adventures as their counterparts and participate in a few more.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on January 7th, 2009
Every director has a style. Sometimes it can be a deliberate style, sometimes it can be more subtle. I received the movie Ring of Death and was a little worried since I had my fill of bad prison movies. After watching the movie, it seemed familiar but I couldn’t place why. The director’s name on the back was Bradford May. To most people, that probably does not ring a bell. To me, it was a different story: he was the director of Darkman 2 and Darkman 3. Then everything from that point became clear.
Burke Wyatt (played by Johnny Messner) is your average out of work cop. He has a loving but somewhat distrustful wife in Mary Wyatt (played by Charlotte Ross) and a son that he doesn’t get to hang out with enough in Tommy Wyatt (played by Uriah Shelton). However, Burke’s life is about to change when his former partner Steve James (played by Derek Webster) offers him an undercover gig to investigate a string of prison murders at the Cainesville State prison. The reward is simple: a large trust fund for his son and a full time job for Burke at the FBI.
