My Favorite Show

Imdb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118276

This is easily my favorite TV show of all time. I love it. I got into it originally via a dear friend, and I thank her dearly for it. For this who know me, there is a debate between this and Charmed but this totally wins out. Why? Because it is full of drama, intrigue, sadness, happiness and great comedy all in one. Every season has its good and bad points, and it ends fabulously. Easily the best out of everything I have ever watched.


For those of you who do not know: this show is simply about a young girl, named Buffy, who is the slayer. "To each Generation a Slayer is born; one girl in all the world with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires." Only.... it is not just vampires. Demons, werewolves, invisible people, witches, gods.... et cetera. Every bad thing that you in myth you thought did not exist- she fights. 


This show is simply amazing- and I love that even for a fantasy show there is little, very little, continuity issues. The major thing that irritates me with Fantasy shows is the lack of continuity- i.e. the lack of a story that does NOT contradict each other, at least in part during certain seasons. Charmed, although another great show of mine I love, is sooo guilty of this. Buffy, for the most part, is not. 


One thing I also love about this show is that you genuinely fall in love with all the major characters- each one is special in their own way and you love them all not just one person in particular. For all you fantasy fans, I would HIGHLY recommend this show- it is a true gem. I love every moment, of every season, every villan, every high and low note- I love it all. I am sure that if you started watching it, you would as well. 

GCB

Imdb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1727387

This show is literally terrible.... it is so bad and over the top a lot of the time, but that is what is so genuinely great about it. Some things in life are so horrible, so corny that they are genuinely entertaining and this show fits that statement perfectly. Think of it like old school Power Rangers for a second; if you remember the terrible acting, the awful props and the every so corny dialogue and plots- but the show was teriffic. Even today when I watch it I still get that good feeling when the bad guys triumph over evil. This show is like that for me: while the acting is actually good, in my opinion, and the plot is decent, the show is just so..... hilarious. For me, this show is sooo good because it is sooo terrible and over the top- I hope this show does not go away.

Everything about this show, well most things, are completely exaggerated. I do not go without laugh hard at least 3 times while watching this show; either because of what people say, do or are wearing. Before I get too ahead of myself, let me tell you a little about the plot: Amanda Vaughn is a recently widowed mother of two children who decides to move back to her hometown of Dallas after a debacle with her late husband. What makes this show even more interesting is that she was a total WITCH in high school, the Queen Bee, and her biggest four nemeses are now the ruling families in this town.

Seriously, watch this show- it will make you laugh so hard sometimes it is worth it. I fell in love with this show the second I watched it.

Mass Effect 3

Fight to save Earth from total destruction? Yes please. Today I would love to talk a bit about Mass Effect 3; for those who do not know about this series at all, it is a fight to save the galactic community from the threat of sentient machines known as the Reapers. For 2 games you basically have everyone, except your crew, laugh in your face about the Reapers; they tell you it is all just a myth and that everyone else is really the threat. Now? THE BIGGEST I TOLD YOU SO MOMENT EVER.

This game is amazing........ except for the ending. I am not going to tell you how or why the ending was upsetting only that I understand why they did it, but I do not happent to agree. That being said, I still think anyone should go out and buy these games. They are really full of HOURS of enjoyment- it is also highly recommended you play the first 2 before you play this game. Why? This is so because the choices you made in the first two games literally do have an effect on the storyline.

That is one thing I love about this game- uniqueness. I am tired of playing games that are the same all the way through- they have no variation whatsoever. Mass Effect 3, to me, is different in the way that it can provide a unique game that is not the same when you play through it. Without giving away too many spoilers, there literally are many side-quests you can do in the first 2 that an effect on the gameplay in the 3rd, let alone the actual plot points. I really loved playing this game with my Infiltrator character and am currently replaying the first two picking all the choices opposite choices.

This game is truly the best of the series and I cannot wait for more downloadable content to come out. What I really loved about this game as well was the fact that it did not change the style we saw in the second Mass Effect game. To me, I dislike replaying this first- not only because of the gameplay itself but the way in which the weaponry and armor was delt with was very odd to me. The second one is easily superior to the first- but that is one reason I love the 3rd so much. The designers did not change the gameplay or anything from the second, just took what they had there and made it better.

Go out and buy the Mass Effect series- they are a great series and you will not be sorry you bought them.

Happy Blogging!

Hayao Miyazaki/Anime

Today this dude is the subject of my blog post. Why? Because he is, in my personal opinion, one of the BEST animators out there in the world today. All of his stories are genuinely unique in their own way, not to mention both fun and something that really makes you think about life in general. Hayao Miyazaki is one of those directors/writers where, no matter what the movie is, I will definitely be going to see it; you may be asking yourself: Derek, why are you so into seeing animated movies? Well the answer to this one is simple: Hayao Miyazaki  does it best.

ALL of his movies are genuine pieces of art; they are not only thought provoking, but also highly entertaining filled with many themes that children and adults alike will recognize. I seriously doubt anyone who sits down watch one of this films will be disappointed- they are just that good. Hayao Miyazaki 's style comes from a popular style of animation in Japan, dubbed Anime. Anime is another one of those things that really has something for everyone; a lot of people misjudge it to being with. You may already be familiar with some anime and not even realize it: certain TV shows like Sailor Moon and One Piece, which are featured as children's shows in America, are done in the anime style. 

IN truth, anime is NOT for Children- a lot of the shows brought over here from are cut and reformed to be made okay for child TV. While there are different genres, like in everything you watch or read, and some are cutsie and fun, a lot of the anime prevalent has many adult themes in them. One of the reason's I think Hayao Miyazaki  is so great is that he seems to blend the child and adult themes flawlessly- he can make a genuine piece of art that is both entertaining for a child AND genuinely entertaining for the adults as well. In my personal opinion Hayao Miyazaki  is not someone you should just overlook as another "children's animator" and not see his movies; go see a Miyazaki film today- you will not be sorry you did. 

Sites to the right

Today I figured I would take some time to explain the sites to the right and why I think they are important. Obviously you guys know what Facebook and Twitter are so I won't really talk about them other then mentioning the fact that I DO INDEED have one :D. Anyways, let's just go right down the list, shall we? (Oh I would also like to mention that if I think of more sites and add them, I will update them later :D)

1) Flixster- I really like flixster because it gives me an accurate portrayal of what is hot in the theatres right now and what is not. It will give you a listing of all the movies out and movies that have come out, user reviews and critic reviews along with synopses and, sometimes, video clips. While I do love the site, I do think that it is always best to go see something and get your own feel for it; but of course I think you will take Flixster's, and my, opinions into account when you are watching something of course. (www.flixster.com)

2) Gamefaqs-  I have been using this site FOREVER....I mean that.  Anytime I have questions about any video game I look it up there or even post in the forums. That is what I love about this site- it will not only tell you about games and provide walkthroughs, but the things are all USER CREATED. This, to me, makes all the difference: you do not have someone overcomplicating things...you have someone who has played the game telling you about the game. Also, there are user forums (the site is FREE TO JOIN BTW) which means if you have any other questions about anything gaming related for any game, you can post it there and chances are someone will have an answer about it. (www.gamefaqs.com)

3) Get Glue- I love this site; for all of you foresquare savy bloggers out there this site is just like that except it tracks your gaming and viewing habits. Simply log onto the site (also free to get an account), look up a show, game, movie or book and checkin. What is more awesome about it is the fact that after you do things you earn stickers; these stickers can range from anything to simply being a fan of something even to liking certain shows or movies 50+ times or more. What is more awesome? For every 20 stickers you get from Get Glue they will SEND THEM TO YOU FOR FREE. How about that, huh? (www.getglue.com)

4) Hulu- This is how I watch ALL OF MY SHOWS. Hulu is amazing and, again, another site where you can create a show for free. Missed yesterday's episode of Ringer? Never fear hulu has it. Missed last week's Grey's Anatomy? Hulu has that again. Hulu is basically a site that compiles all of the streaming the different networks does for you as a courtesy all in one convenient location. Simply create an account and subscribe to your shows- whenever there is a free episode it will atomically update and, if you so choose, you can get e-mail reminders of it. (www.hulu.com)

5) Internet Movie Database- This site is truly awesome- I go here for ALL MY MOVIE NEEDS. Did you see The Hunger Games and cannot for the life of you remember who that actress that played Katniss was? Imdb has it. Want to remember what your favorite episode of Charmed was? Imdb has a list of all seasons, all episodes. Imdb takes all of the questions you have for TV and movies, all the cast lists, plots and actor/actress information and puts it onto one site. Log on and look up anything you need to know about any TV/Movie that is in existence. What is even more cool is that it not only has user reviews, trailers, upcoming movies being released, TV and DVD release dates, latest entertainment news and top 100 movies list but also you can talk with other people. Each Movie/TV/Actor has their own forum- here you can post pretty much anything you want to say about the show. Talk with others about your favorite shows for hours if you want. This is a really good site. (www.imdb.com)

6) IGN- While it does not have EVERY GAME, IGN is good to see about new and upcoming games for most systems. This site features reviews, ratings, movie and photo clips and the latest news about different games in existence. I find it is more useful for newer things, but that does not mean it is completely hopeless. If I want to know about anything that may, or may not, happen with newer games I always go to IGN. (www.ign.com)

7) Internet Book List- This site is fairly new and rough look to it, but I like the idea behind it and have found it useful since I've found it. Basically it is a list of different books, sorted by a few genre's, that have been made. What is more useful is that it gives you an overall rating of the book, depending on how user's liked it, and gives you a plot of the book and who made it. You can look up author's as well and see what books they have made. The only thing that would, in my opinion, make this site better is a user forum; somewhere people could talk about the books they have read with others. (www.iblist.com)

Here are some sites I find important- check them out and see if they are useful to you. Happy Blogging!

The Sims 3 Mideval

I do not have a page for you to look at for this game unfortunately but that does not mean the game is any less great. If you are a fan of the Sims series this one will not let you down either: it is a breath of fresh air in the Sims 3 world that, to me, was getting a little stale.

What I really really love about this game is the fact that it accomplishes things we already love about the sims series: you pick your sims, make your sims, and play out your life. The difference? This one is Medieval and brings so much more to the series. Instead of just picking one person to play you get "hero sims"; these sims are ones that you will go back to and replay for the various missions that you need to accomplish. These missions earn you points which you use to buy things for your imaginary village. 

If this has not interested you so far take a look at one more thing: you do not get just one hero sim. If you are like me and want to play many different types of sims, you find yourself making a few different families you rotate between, then think no more: this game does that for you. Each sim you create is different, has their own household and you already rotate between them completing quests. What is more interesting is that they have eliminated the need for sims to do certain things; no longer do you need to go to the bathroom regularly, take a shower or, hell, even socialize if you do not want to. The only things you need to worry about are eating and sleeping. Brilliant right?

This game has already sucked hours of enjoyment out from my life and, if you are a fan of the Sims games, it will do the same for you. 

Happy Blogging!

PS: Here is a link to a trailer I found on youtube. Maybe this will, also, spark your interest.

http://youtu.be/-IL99bitnVg

The Hunger Games

Imdb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/
My Rate: 3/5


Since this movie just came out and I actually did see it on time, I decided to write a brief entry about what I thought about this movie. Honestly..... I have mixed feelings about this movie. There are so many mixed reviews out there right now: some people reallllyyy loved it and some people reaaallllyyy did not. As for myself: I am in the middle.

I thought the movie was definitely very entertaining- it gave you a clear plot and you could fully understand what was going on. The characters, at least some of them, are very lovable and after a while you do pick your favorites and cheer for them. The story is really like a Drama, Thriller, Adventure and Romance all in one- I do not doubt that anyone who goes into this movie, of any age, would find something they liked about it. Maybe they did not enjoy the movie in its entirety, but surely there were some elements that kept them watching.

Now for the bad news: the camera style is definitely something that irritated me. As certain parts of the movie, the cameraman must have had tremors in his hand cause that is how shaky some of the scenes were. Maybe it was meant to be like that for effect?? Personally, it irritates me. I think even if a regular person was being gnawed on by a Velociraptor while shooting some scenes of this, they could have done a better job. Do not get me wrong it was not prevalent in the ENTIRE MOVIE just some parts.... enough to be annoying. I also felt that the book went into detail more about different characters rather then just present stereotypical movie roles. Some characters and scenes, I felt, were explained A LOT BETTER in the book then they were in the movie.... but I was expecting this. I think to be able to fully enjoy a movie adaptation you need to put aside the book, DO NOT READ IT BEFORE YOU GO SEE THE MOVIE, and just watch. After a while you can come back to it, see what they did not incorporate and realize: while you wish they had done some more details, the movie was still alright.

All in all though I do not feel my money was wasted seeing this movie. It definitely kept me entertained while watching it and, if you keep it separate from the book, I think the movie does just fine. Books always tend to me better then their movie counterparts so the fact that this one was, again, should come as no surprise.

Happy Blogging!

Touch

Imdb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821681/
My Rate: 5/5

Today I would like to talk to you bloggers a little about a show that I have also just started watching called Touch. Honestly, I just love this show so much; not only is it fascinating but also it really makes you think. Basically this show is about a father, Martin, and a widower who has an autistic child, named Jake. Jake is special, he can predict what events are going to happen before they happen and also is capable of making connections between people, making associations between things that we might not even see or realize.

What I like most about this show is that not only is it interesting but also it is thought provoking- it really makes you think about things. It is not just up there and entertains you but does not really provide much insight into the human condition beyond what plot line will occur next. This show not only fascinates but also makes you REALLY think about life and what is going on around you.

Find a pencil on the street? Perhaps that pencil belongs to a famous artist and by picking it up you are helping it get back to him. Run into a lost dog? This is the dog of a wealthy family who is missing their canine companion dearly. This show presents many different possibilites and the connections between people on a level you might not even be aware of. If you get the chance sit down and watch this show, even if it is just for 5 minutes. I promise you when you start it you will NOT be able to stop.

Another Good Movie

The Lincoln Lawyer.
Imdb page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1189340/
My rate: 5/5

Just a random site note for tonight bloggers; especially since I just finished watching this movie again. If any of you have not seen The Lincoln Lawyer stop whatever you are doing and go out RIGHT NOW at get it. I do not care what you do, get a netflix account because none of you can have mine :p, and watch it instantly. Why? It is a fantastic movie.

What I love about this movie is that there is not ONE MOMENT where I stopped loving this movie. Sure there were moments that irritated me but you will surely find it is not the movie itself you find annoying but rather some of the characters within it. I do not want to go into TOO MUCH DETAILS but let me just tell you Matthew McConaughey is brilliant in this movie; not just in talent but also in character. The plot-line is very entertaining and the movie leaves you with just enough closure to be satisfied. What is even better about this? I could easily see it being a TV series.

If none of what I said yet has caught you than maybe the fact that I am really not a Matthew McConaughey fan- not at all. To me, he is just another one of those "Ben Stiller" types that annoy me because his character types in movies do not seem to change all that much. Well, I take back everything I have ever said about this guy- Matthew you have proved me wrong. This movie was utterly fantastic and easily one you could watch with you (older) family members or friends on any movie night.

Until next time, happy Blogging!

First blog- Awake

Imdb page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1839683/
My Rate: 3/5


***MINOR SPOILERS****

The show I have decided to start with is Awake. What can I say about this show? Well, it is an interesting plot; basically it is about a man named Michael who is leading two lives- two parallel lives. Without giving too much away, he got into an accident and since then has been switching between these two lives. One day he could be with his wife, Hannah; he goes to work, hangs out with friends and enjoys time with her. At the end of the night he goes to sleep and, instead of drifting into dreamland, he goes to his other life. He is with his son Rex, his wife is dead, and he leads pretty much the same existence.

What can I really say about this show? Some of the pros is definitely the interesting plot: two lives, two existences... but which one is real? After reading this I know what some of you may be thinking: won't this get confusing?? The makers of Awake has solved that with filming the two lives in different styles. While with Hannah the images always seem brighter- no matter what you are watching in Hannah's world it is always a bright sunny overlay. Rex's world is always seems a little darker- a bluish tint covers the screen. Suffice to say, when it is bright you are with Hannah and when it is a little darker you are with Rex. To me, this simplifies things a lot; no matter what he is doing all you need to do to tell which world it is lies in looking at HOW the scenes were filmed.

Now for the bad news: while it is an interesting plot the story just has not grabbed me personally yet. He goes to work, leads his lives, talk to his loved ones and visits his therapists who both insist the other world is the fantasy.... and that is it. I keep waiting for something MORE to happen- maybe Rex gets into a fatal injury or Hannah gets pregnant again? Michael does have an interesting job, he is a cop, so perhaps the eventual storyline pickup will lie in this fact.

Either way the idea behind is enough to keep me entertained for now but hopefully it will get more interesting soon.

Welcome to my blog!

Hello Bloggers!!

Just a basic introduction post to let you know what I am doing. My name is Derek and I have a great love of Movies, books, TV and more.... so much that I have decided to share my opinons on them with you lovely people :). I have a love of everything- I am very eclectic. I have not found a genre I have not liked so expect to see many different types of posts here.

As always, you feedback is welcome on my page. If you have any idea/suggestions I would love to hear them. In the meantime, just bear with me while I get my page set up. Thank you Bloggers!

Derek