Musings of a Wandering Writer

It's a fairly common trope in Hollywood these days for video game movies to suck. I'm not sure why, but Super Mario Bros. and Double Dragon kind of started the awfulness and the train wreck has found a way to keep going all the way to modern-day. Some may argue that Sonic the Hedgehog and Pokémon Detective Pikachu have since saved the genre, but I'd disagree. Two middling movies hardly makes up for decades of awfulness. Many say that the original Mortal Kombat movie is the best of the bunch, and while I tend to agree there, I would say it's not entirely fair as that movie blatantly rips off Enter the Dragon . Of course, I can enjoy schlocky video game movies, as my reviews of BloodRayne and Max Payne can attest to, but I certainly would never call them cinematic achievements. * Where You Can Find It:  I saw this on HBO Max where it is available for all subscribers, however it is also currently in theaters . General Information  Mortal Kombat is a martial arts act...

Before I discovered the magnificence of Miami Vice , I found this film. I've probably seen this more than a couple of dozen times, however it had been a pretty long time since I'd last seen it. I was excited to give this one another go after all these years and I'm proud to say that it's just as good as I remember. 1 Where You Can Find It:  I saw this on Amazon Video where it is currently available  for rent/purchase . General Information  Scarface is an American crime drama film that was released on 9 December 1983. It was directed by Brian DePalma and written by Oliver Stone with Giorgio Moroder composing. It was produced by Martin Bregman with Universal Studios distributing. The film's critical reception is incredibly divided as some critics found it incredibly compelling while others derided it for its shocking use of violence. Furthermore, the film's depiction of Marielito Cubans (Cubans who arrived in Miami during the Mariel Boatlift) has taken a good de...

It's been a while since I finished the first Obscure (you can see my review for that here ), but I finally got around to trying this one. I've been curious to see how Hydravision would add on to their first game and I was pleased to experience this with a friend. Although my review of this probably isn't too flattering, I kind of think it's a shame that Hydravision isn't around anymore as I think it would've been interesting to see a new iteration of this series.  * Where You Can Find It: I played this on PC via Steam, however it was also originally available on PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo Wii, and PlayStation Portable. General Informati on Obscure II (also referred to as "Obscure: The Aftermath") is a survival horror game that was developed by Hydravision Entertainment with Ignition Entertainment and Playlogic Enertainment publishing. It was first released in North America on 25 March 2008 and it is the sequel to Obscure . It is the final entry in...

  Dear America, Recently, I was given some bad news that I have spent a good chunk of the past week reflecting on and trying to put past. One of the things I have most tried to emulate in my life is a drive to accomplish everything I put my focus on. It doesn't always work out, but there's a lesson to be had in every failure. Having recently finished reviewing The Wire , there was a line of dialogue in the series that has managed to stay with me as I apply myself to examining this most recent disaster. * "Tell me something, Jimmy. How exactly do you think it all ends? A parade? A gold watch? A shining Jimmy McNulty Day moment? When you bring in a case so sweet, everybody gets together and says 'aw shit, he was right all along. We should've listened to the man.' The job will not save you, Jimmy. It won't make you whole; it won't fill your ass up." I'm not a cop, but there's truth in Lester Freamon's words that apply across the board to t...

 Dear America, It's been exactly one year since I started this blog and my letters to you. A lot's changed since that fateful day that I cobbled together my first letter and offered you to join me for that cup of coffee. It seems like we're finally bouncing back. We had a few false steps and more than a couple scrapes last year, but the wheel turns no matter what happens. I wonder what the future has in store for us? Do you think the rest of the year will get better? They got those vaccines going around, but there's still a pandemic out there, and there's plenty of other badness just outside my window. I'm not going to be doom-and-gloom though. I know it was going on even before some bug started going around making people sick, but this fascination with only the negative isn't healthy. If you ask me, it's time for some fresh air and a little optimism. Last year, I asked if you'd slow things down and just enjoy the moment. Now, I'm asking for y...

All things must come to an end, and sadly this applies even to The Wire. I've attempted to savor each episode leading up to this, but when I finally reached this final season, I found myself binging, which certainly didn't help the shortened allotment of episodes. It's crazy to realize that this show aired over ten years ago and how much has changed (as well as how much hasn't ). 1 W here to Find It:   This is available on HBO Max, where the entire series is available to subscribers, however one can also rent/purchase each season/episode on Amazon Video. General Information  Season five of The Wire was originally released on HBO on 6 January 2008. It is the final season of series, as creator, David Simon, felt there were no other aspects of Baltimore that he felt qualified covering. For the Simon fans out there, this season marks the return of two previous actors from Simon's old show, Homicide: Life on the Street . Richard Belzer returns for a cameo appearance as t...