Things lookin' up / Beckinsale in leather!!!!!

Well, I managed to get a new job. Although I won't be making as much, it's for a company that I'm familiar with and is actually expanding and going places rather than wasting away in a sea of self destruction. So that's a small ray of sunshine in a long cold winter.

Actually, it's been warm here, in the 40's. Heck, we Wisconsinites sun bathe in the 40's. It's also been sunny out for the last few days. So that's another nice notation.

I also decided to cash in all of my gift cards to purchase a new Xbox. Now I have to go through and play all my old games again. Oh, Shucky darn! If anyone wants to buy themselves an older, used Xbox that has a shot power supply, let me know. Due to my current and upcoming financial situation, I don't see an Xbox 360 in the near future. I may have to wait 'till next winter, if I'm not living in my mother's basement living off of Cheese Whiz and Koolaid by then.

More good news... I just spent this afternoon watching Kate Beckinsale wearing tight black leather in the sequel to Underworld, Underworld: Oblivion. Not a bad film, though, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first film. The plot in this one was a bit convoluted and would be VERY confusing for people who missed out on the first one. But the art direction was very cool, the action sequences were well choreographed and it had some nice story elements. And of course there's the whole subject of Kate Beckinsale in black leather. Since she played the vampiric assassin on the run, she was made up real purdy in all out action goth nature. Rumor has it that her husband (the director and writer of the movies) got much of the story lines from the RPG, Vampire: The Masquerade. I believe that the company who publishes the RPG are trying to take him to court on it. On that note, if Miss Beckinsale is ever in the mood to date a guy with a ORIGINAL sense of imagination, she need not look any further than this Blog of Geekdom. Kate, you can have your people call my people once the divorce goes into effect.... that is if she doesn't mind sharing my mom's basement with me and really likes the rare delicacy of Cheese Whiz and Koolaide. (At this point, I'm reminded that it is well past the time to take my meds.)

In other reviews, I recently rented the PS2 video game, The Suffering. It's a 3rd person action shooter that lies on the edge of Survival Horror. It takes place in a creepy old prison. It's a pretty cool, atmospheric game. But, not a lot of replay value. Still, very good for a rental. Lot's of creepiness.

Right now, I'm playing Half Life 2 on the new Xbox. It's a great 1st person shooter that has a boat-load if interaction with the environment. Where the first game took place in a very modern day Lovecraftian world, this one takes place in a very bleak, post apocalyptic Orwellian world where there is a mysterious totalitarian Government in place. At the same time there are a ton of Lovecraftain creatures running about. Though, much of the game takes place in the daytime, the settings look so good that you still feel a sense of bleakness and creepiosity. However, there are many very frustrating parts in this game. The vehicles you drive are insanely hard to maneuver and when you're trying to do some basic investigation of the surrounding area, your busy being attacked by an endless amount of creatures. But still a decent game.

Hey, I did get to try a bit of that Xbox game, Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, based on the movies. What an underrated game! It mixes stealth (which I usually hate) and first person shooter action along with a bit of RPG interaction with certain characters in the game putting you on individual quests. From what I heard, Riddick star, Vin Deissel had a ton to do with the development of this game. There are even whispers that he's a hardcore video RPG fan. He's also been known to role a 20 sider from time to time. But I'm sure his publisists wouldn't divulge that as he's a big action movie star. I say to Vin, "Let your GEEK FREAK flag fly high, my friend!"

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that they finally got a bond girl for the next Bond movie, Casino Royale. Actress Rose Byrne as Bond's love interest, Vesper Lynd. Rose is most famous to us geeks as Padme Amadalla's double who took one at the beginning of Episode II when Padme's ship is blown to bits. So now their ready to move on and start shooting this thing. Let's hope it's a smoother ride to shoot the picture than to cast it.

That was another long one. Well, it's been a while, so there was a ton of catching up to do. I gotta go and play some Half Life 2 and get frustrated again. I'll talk to you all later.

Zangz.

Mad Mario turns 40!

More on Mario later.

Happy New Year, by the way. Let's hope 2006 isn't anywhere near as crappy as 2005.

The job search continues. Thanks for asking.

In other geeky news, I finally got to see "Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". Much like the first couple of Harry Potter movies, I thought this movie was visually pleasing and cute. But, not much else. Tilda Swinton makes a great villain as the Ice Queen, but all the other performances were...ehh.. ok.

This puppy just wasn't that spectacular. Sure, producers tried hard to give it that "Lord of the Rings" feeling with great effects and a big battle scene. But it wasn't even close. The end battle is quick and to the point. Sure it was fun watching mythical creatures and other animals go at it with each other, but there was no bloodshed or beheadings or lost body parts. It didn't feel like a real battle. I know, I know! It's geared toward families and Christians. We can't have a close up of (highlight to read spoiler).... Asland, the lion king, tearing the head off of the Ice Queen with his fangs. Instead we get a close up of Asland's mouth opening toward her head. Then we see his body wiggling about as he does his dirty work. Not even some crunching sounds. Dag nabbit!

I guess it served its purpose. To bring families to the theater and people to the church. I do find it somewhat humorous that religious organizations are using this movie to lure people in. After all, for every Christian theme that is in the movie, there is also some form of pagan imagery (unicorn's and a character that looks just like Pan).

Though I enjoyed it as a cute little family friendly film, I don't see myself knocking down a line of children to get my paws on the DVD. Besides after I pulled that stunt with the Episode III DVD release, I got myself banned from the store.

In other movie news, producers of the next Bond movie "Casino Royale" are scrambling to find a female lead for the role of Vesper Lynd. It ain't lookin' like it's going too smoothly either. They're trying to get the likes of Naomi Watts, but it looks as though they may have to settle for Jessica Simpson. (Dear Lord, no!). They better make some decisions soon as they start filming latter this month.

Hey! Congratz to my friend Spanky who became a father not too long ago. He and his wife are proud parents to a son. I hinted to Spanky that now he actually has a legitimate reason to buy action figures.

Speaking of congratulations, there's a boatload of them in order for my gamemaster friend, Mad Mario! Mario just turned the big 4-0 last week and we're going to celebrate this monstrous occasion with a party. Let me tell you somthing, I've known Mad Mario and his wife for over 10 years now and he's run many an enjoyable RPG throughout that time. He's run Vampire: The Masquerade, Vampire: The Dark Ages, Cult, SpyCraft, Deadlands and currently Star Wars with me as a player. I'm sure there's a smorgasboard of other games he's run (D&D I'm sure.) Since I'm currently unemployed and a bit strapped for cash my gift to Mario is that I will make his turning 40 known to the world via my blog. Soooooo......

Happy 40th Birthday Mad Mario!!!

Don't worry Mario, only about two or three people will see this anyway.

That's all for now.

Zangz.