Monday, January 30, 2017

Mind Sieve 1/30/17

Morning!
Short one this week as I had to log into work on Sunday. Boo!




Planetarium Trailer - looks funky! 


Brimstone Trailer - looks harsh! Dang! 



King Arthur Official Trailer # 2 - There's a short one and then a longer one in the same video. Magic looks spiffy!


Have a fun week!

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Virtual Tourist - The Vanishing of Ethan Carter 1/29/17

Survived another week, yay!
Realized I'd forgotten to share more pics from this game.  Can't have that! It's so pretty!
Vanishing of Ethan Carter
They do have the most gorgeous skies ever!
A flashback into Ethan's past. Kid's fort now turned super creepy. 
The woods that are in the back of the small town.
An odd cemetery and church nestled in the woods.
The side of one of the crypts.
Front of the crypts. With all the rocks it looks like graves were hard to do, and so they created vaults?
A vision of the cemetery. There's something I need to find.
The church by the cemetery. It has a Viking vibe to it, no?
Grave marker? 
Front of the church. With a good view of the bell tower.
Hope you have a fruitful day!

Friday, January 27, 2017

Movie Review - Resident Evil: The Final Chapter



Starring: Milla Jovovich, Iain Glen, Ali Larter, Shawn Roberts, Eoin Macken, Fraser James, Ruby Rose, William Levy, Rola, Ever Anderson, and more.
Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson Written by: Paul W.S. Anderson Cinematography by: Glen MacPherson Music by: Paul Haslinger 
Premise: Having survived a trap in Washington, D.C. Alice gets contacted by the Red Queen - Umbrella's AI Computer. She warns that in 48 hours the three thousand plus humans left on the surface of the planet will be exterminated. Their only hope is for Alice to come back to the Hive to retrieve the antidote for the T-virus. One the Umbrella Corporation has kept hidden from the world. The ultimate secrets are about to be revealed. (Rated  R)
Review:
1) Acting - Thumbs Up: Familiar and new characters fill the cast. Milla Jovovich, Iain Glen, Ali Larter, and Shawn Roberts reprise their previous roles in the Resident Evil universe. A couple of them get to play more than one. :) Milla Jovovich continues to give Alice some nice layers with what little she's given to work with. Iain Glen looks to have had a lot of most fun playing multiple roles in this one. 
2) Special Effects - Thumbs Up: It's hard to say if it was due to budget cuts or the direction the group was ordered to follow, but some of the filming choices made a lot of the special effects look cheap or mediocre. Which is a shame, because there were some neat effects in there.
The first creature that attacks Alice is filmed in such a way the audience can't get a sense of what it look like. All you see is a blurred, giant blob of flesh. Between all the shaky cam and giggling, weaving viewpoints. They did slightly better with the next creature, but even that one the good glimpses seemed doled out rather than consistent.
Great work on the zombies. The ones hung from a bridge and only reacting when the trucks drove beneath them were an awesome detail. There's one that shows up in the Hive that gave it all he had despite being hung to dry, poor thing. He looked great! 
The Hive itself was fab. The recreations of several familiar places and the transformation of others were well done. The evil laser corridor makes a comeback. Bwahaha! The bridge/walkway coming up out of the water was awesome. 
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Down: Hubby has loved this franchise since day one. I've gone and seen all of the films with him. Some have been better than others, yet you don't tend to expect too much in that department. The action and special effects are what people truly come for, and they usually deliver quite well on that aspect of things.  This time, though, they failed at both. :(  
The plot was awful. Too much of it was contrived for convenience. No real surprises. 
It was bad enough that the audience gets thrown into the deep end with little explanation. (And with information that doesn't match info previously given in other films!) Then we're "told" Alice survived a trap in D.C. but got to see none of it. New characters are thrown at us, but the audience is given no time to get to know them. Yet we're expected to care when they die...
Alice has 48 hours to get the antidote and save humanity. Yet the story has the characters waste hours upon hours preparing for a coming attack on the human "stronghold" rather than just go to the Hive to save what little of the human race is left. Instead, Alice leaves herself two measly hours to break into and infiltrate a giant underground facility and find the elusive antidote. One that could be locked up anywhere in the facility and not easily accessible. Right...
Wesker's job is to keep people out of the Hive. He knows Alice is coming. He and Isaacs keep talking about doing lockdowns and having all the security primed. So what does he do? He keeps the giant door leading into the hive WIDE OPEN! Even taking into account the supposed "power grid issues" he still had plenty of time to close the thing but doesn't. (What's hilarious about the super convenient "power grid issues" is that if they truly had rolling power outages, all of the people in the cryo tubes would be DEAD!)
Don't get me started on how the "power grid issues" get used to make convenient problems for the infiltrators. Ugh. 
As if the plot issues weren't bad enough, they ruined most of the action shots with shaky cam, blinking lights, wobbly angles and any excuse to not get a good clear shot of the action. Made no sense. You'd get one impressive bit of fighting, then a ton of jerky crap you couldn't keep track of. *sigh*
4) Stunts - Thumbs Up: Lots of stunts and neatly choreographed battle scenes. But they too suffered from the horrible shaky cam, wobbly angles, and strobe light effects. Boo! It was frustrating to get something super cool and then something almost unrecognizable. Double boo!
5) Music - Total Thumbs Up: The one bright spot of the movie was the music. Paul Haslinger's "A Force so Evil" track which is used as the film opens got the blood flowing and built a growing sense of excitement. Too bad the plot and bad filming couldn't follow through on what he created with the score. 
Conclusion: The final installment in the "Resident Evil" saga will not leave a good impression overall. Bad plots might be expected in films like these, but when they muck with the action, they've drained what little fun could be had at all.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Better for Matinee.) 

Monday, January 23, 2017

Mind Sieve 1/23/17

Happy Monday!

Fan Fun


The LEGO Batman Movie Trailer #5 - uh oh, a ton of villains!



Logan Trailer #2 - looking forward to it! 



Wonder Woman Trailer #2 - Can't wait!


Social Media/Author Platform

Facebook Community Development: How to Cultivate Loyal Fans by Michael Stelzner - I need like 10 clones now. Lol.  


Writing

The Ultimate Guide to Pitch Writing by Jami Gold. Just in time! The edit for "Alien Redemption" is done so I need to start shopping it. :P
5 Things Psychology Can Teach Writers by Angela Ackerman and Tamar Sloan.




Sunday, January 22, 2017

Virtual Tourist - Deus Ex: Mankind Divided 1/22/17

Morning!
Year End work stuff has been messing up my schedule. Flip-flopping Texas weather has been messing up my sinuses. Between the two, I can't get blog stuff done. Waaahhhh!
Dues Ex: Mankind Divided
The leader of the underground cult and a total brainwasher. He's excellent at it.
He's messing with my mind! I don't entirely succumb, but it affects me plenty.
A podium with a microphone so his people can speak with him, except it's not plugged in. He's a nasty piece of work! lol. Need to get my inside's fixed before I tackle the rest of this one.
Subway station. Love the movie poster. Hah! The place is segregated between naturals and augmented zones.
Inside the subway car/tram.  The sequence made me woozy, so every time I got on, I had to look somewhere else for a minute. Wheee!
Station on the other end. There are four or five locations you will take the subway to get to. Each is slightly different. This angle is from the Aug side of the station.
One thing I love about this game is all the awesome detail. Even the drink dispensers take sides. lol.
Outside the station. Gorgeous and so modern! 
The plaque is about the incident resulting during the end phase of the previous game. It truly messed up the world. But could have been so much worse!
Totally loved this 3D ad for the store Tech Noir. 
Have a great Sunday!

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Virtual Tourist - Dishonored 2 1/15/17

I'm half asleep this morning. Let's see if I can be coherent. :P
Dishonored 2
Leaving Dunwall and heading to Karnaca
Emily has just met the Other. My daughter refused his powers (she's crazy!) I did not. So like my father, I've been branded by his mark.
Emily already looks matured by her experiences. All side info or flashbacks are done in this style. 
Lower hallway in Meagan's ship. Well worn.
My first view of Karnaca. Look at that sky! Gorgeous! And the water!
View of Karnaca from the other side of the ship.
A more inland pointed view from the right side of the ship.
The main meeting place on the ship. The two boards behind Meagan fill up over time as we figure out targets and things get done.
In the last game, the problem was the plague and rats. This time around it's blood flies. Too much glare to show you a good pic of them yet, though.
Look dead center on top of the water - a whale!
And here it is diving! What a sweet and unexpected little treat! 

Stay warm out there!

Monday, January 09, 2017

Mind Sieve 1/9/17

Happy Monday!

Fan Fun



Cars 3 Teaser #2 - so sleek! 



Star Wars Rebels Mid Season 3 Trailer - Obi-Wan you and old! And other characters from Rogue One will be coming! Sweet! 



Clara Official Trailer #1 - Looks weird but cute! My favorite combo. :)



Social Media/Author Platform

Live Video and Marketing: Where the Industry Is Heading from the Social Media Examiner. Article by Michael Stelzner. Ack more stuff to do! Aiiieee!
Free eBook! Self Promo Stories by Authors, Fun Strategies to Sell Books by Beth Barany. Looking forward to seeing what they have to share. :)

Writing


Have a great week! And wish me luck. Doing Year End accounting right now at work. Oi!

Sunday, January 08, 2017

Virtual Tourist - Final Fantasy XIV 1/8/17

Morning!
Final Fantasy XIV
Lancer Class
So much anger in this one... Poor guy.
My armor. Got it colored. Came out pretty good, no?
From a different angle.
And another. lol.
Had to get the new armor to go back and finish this. :P
Truly tragic that it ended this way. :(
And I graduated
Awesome looking castle no? 
That's some super fancy Chocobo armor, no?
Deepvoid Deathmouse

Hope your Sunday is nice and toasty!

Saturday, January 07, 2017

2017 Appearance Schedule

Greetings, all!

Figured I would share my tentative 2017 Attendance Schedule with you. :)

October 20-22, 2017 DallasComic Con Fan Days in Irving, TX

Sep 22-24, 2017 FenCon in Irving, TX Aug 17-20, 2017 Animefest in Dallas, TX

July 28-30, 2017 ArmadilloCon in Austin, TX

June 23-25, 2017 SoonerCon in Midwest City, OK

June 8-11, 2017 A-kon in Fort Worth, TX

May 5-7, 2017 WHOFest in Dallas, TX

March 31 - Apr 2, 2017 Fan Expo Dallas in Dallas, TX

March 16-19, 2017 All-Con 2016 in Dallas, TX

February 10-12, 2017 ConDFW in Fort Worth, TX

Hope to see you there!


P.S. All but ArmadilloCon will also include ChibiChains! Hoping she'll do her new logo reveal soon!

Friday, January 06, 2017

Movie Review for Underworld: Blood Wars




Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Tobias Menzies, Lara Pulver, Charles Dance, James Faulkner, Peter Anderson, Clementine Nicholson, Bradley James, and more.
Directed by: Anna Foerster Screenplay by: Cory Goodman Story by: Kyle Ward and Cory Goodman Based on Characters Created by: Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, and Danny McBride Cinematography by: Karl Walter Lindenlaub Music by: Michael Wandmacher
Premise: Having lost her lover, daughter, and family, Selene feels she has no reason for living. Hunted by both werewolves and vampires as they seek her daughter for her blood, they won't believe her when she tells them she doesn't know where she is. Meanwhile, a new leader has risen amongst the werewolves. One whose been able to unite all the tribes and successfully destroyed a number of vampire covens. This could be the ultimate battle for both species. And Selene is once more stuck in the middle of it, whether she wants to be or not. (Rated R)
Review:
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Kate Beckinsale reprises her role as the vampire Selene. Her dark, poignant looks are as sharp as ever. Theo James also returns as David. A young vampire Selene saved in the last film, he stands by her side whether she wants his help or not. Lara Pulver is pure gold as the manipulative Semira. Charles Dance and James Faulkner bring their strong presences into the cast giving it some weight. 
2) Special Effects - Thumbs Up: A lot of effects fill the film. Most are quite nice. Several considerably gory. 
The outside area of the northern stronghold, especially the frozen waterfall, was fabulous. The obfuscate skills from the north flowed quite well. And the vampire cocoons were a neat concept.
I couldn't remember from the previous films, but it seems that the werewolves in this franchise get less and less hairy with each movie. Hairless werewolves look less like werewolves and more like muscle heavy people with long muzzles. The vampires too seemed less than they should. They either had elongated teeth all the time or not at all. 
3) Plot/Story - Neutral: At a mere 91 minutes, there's not much time for any real story development. Complications and backgrounds are served at breakneck speeds with no time to savor or absorb them. Character development is minimal. Lots of new enemies that just seem like more of the same because they're not given any real time to prove they're in any way different from the rest. 
To increase the blood and carnage, both the werewolves and the vampires seem to lose a lot of their powers. Their sense of enhanced smell, strength, and more. A lot of wounds that should repair themselves in moments don't heal at all. (Not every blade would have poison on it.) The touch of the sun and the UV bullets now kill instantaneously. Selene and Varga's cage match showed potential for cool combat skills the vampires never once use on their werewolf enemies. 
A lot of the motivations seem concocted and convenient. Without building the characters some of the things they do make no sense. Thomas knows Semira and her techniques, yet ignores what he knows and makes some of what follows hollow. Varga's explanations for his actions late in the film are completely belied by his previous actions, but no one seems to notice. (And when do you put someone in a room as a prisoner without removing all the weapons? As if this huge place wouldn't have a set of cells!) 
It's also never good when you repeatedly tell the audience how impossible something is, and yet it's taken care of easily. Worse, once the vampires realize what has been done, they do nothing to correct the issue and get the benefit of added security instead of being massacred. Oh well. 
 4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: Lots of hand-to-hand combat. Sword fights, gun fights, and combinations of those and more. The choreography from the battles was overall well done.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The gorgeous vistas, especially when they go north, almost make up for the plot issues. The shots from the train over the mountains were fantastic! The frozen lake with the northern lights behind them was a beautiful sight. I loved the shots of the frozen waterfall.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up: Selene wears her signature corset, leathers, and long coat. Later things get shaken up a little with some contrast changes. All the southern vampires are emo to the max. It made for a huge contrast when we're introduced to the northern coven. A strange ying and yang effect. I loved the touch of Viking and Valkyrie influence on the northern group, especially for Lena.
Conclusion: If you love watching Selene kick buns, and some gorgeous cinematography, you'll enjoy the film. Just don't expect much else. 
Rating: 3.25 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Better For Matinee) 

Monday, January 02, 2017

Mind Sieve 1/2/17

Morning, all!
The weather has been flip-flopping here for weeks. Head colds and sinus issues have been prevalent. Ugh. 

Despicable Me 3 Trailer #1 - YES! And an 80's themed bad guy. ROFL!



Rogue One Moments Only True Fans Understood - I caught a lot of these but not all. So fun! 



Taboo Trailer BBC One - could be interesting!




Stay healthy out there!

Sunday, January 01, 2017

Virtual Tourist - Deus Ex Mankind Divided 1/1/17

Happy New Year, ya'll!
Happy New Year
Deus Ex Mankind Divided
Fountain area near one of the smaller train stations in Prague. Old and new mixed together.
Check out those tattoos! 
Throughout the game, you will find electronic newspapers. Gives you a peek at how some stories are getting spun and what's going on around the world. :P
The Time Machine is an antique book store. It's sad to see what the hoodlums did to it. :(
Hidden lab and hiding place for the guy who can fix my augmentations. Black market service.
The master himself. A little weird, but knows his stuff. :)
Augmentation screen. All the blurred ones are augs Jensen did not know where in there. Someone has been messing with his body without consent... Again! (Poor guy)
Cool 3D image, no? 
Garden in the sewers of an underground cult. These poor people are brainwashed by continuous bombardment into their heads. :(
Another section of the place.

Hope 2017 brings you lots of joy! 
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