Author: Shmee

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Disney Has A Great New Princess In Moana!

Disney, in 2016, has had the best year for any movie studio in history.  It seems like everything they released was a hit.  Moana was no different.  It is a fantastic movie.  It has gotten to the point where I am not sure that Disney knows how to release a bad animated film (unless it has Cars in the title).

Moana is about a young chieftain’s daughter, the titular Moana (Auli’i Cravalho), who has been tasked by the Ocean to return a gem stolen by the demigod Maui (Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson) to the Mother Island, Te Fiti.  Of course she will have to overcome many obstacles on her journey.

This is the first Disney animated film since Mulan where it felt like the young woman’s journey was more than just personal.  Yes I know in Frozen they stop the never ending winter, but it was still about the love of two sisters, but in Moana her job is to save the word.  I guess what I am trying to say is, good on Disney for giving a girl a proper hero’s journey film.

I know that Disney has come under some fire for making the men in Moana overweight, which was not something that happened until the Pacific Islands were taken over by the west, and because Disney jumbled up all the Pacific Island traditions in to one ‘Polynesian’ culture, but in this white guy’s opinion they still managed to treat the various cultures with a great amount of care.  Which like a girl on a hero’s journey, is quite refreshing.

To top it all off the movie looks amazing.  The colors are lush, and new and exciting things are being shown at every turn.  The film looks like we hope every trip to the Pacific Islands will be like.  As a matter of fact Moana has me jonesing to go back to Hawaii (to be fair I always want to go to Hawaii).

Moana is deserving of all the praise it has been getting, and it has me excited to see what Disney will come up with next.  The only warning I can think of with this film is that since it deals with a Polynesian creation story, you may want to have a discussion about other religions and beliefs before or after you watch the film.  Other than that, you should go watch Moana before it leaves theaters.

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Shmee’s Top Five Games For 2017!

I had a great time with 2016’s games, so I hope that 2017 continues this trend.  If not I will be mighty displeased, or I will just have to watch more movies.  Maybe even spend more time with my family.  Here are my top five games for next year!

5: Vampyr

Vampyr will probably not make a lot of other top five lists, but I have been waiting for my follow up to Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines for a long time, and Vampyr might be as close as I am going to get.

4: Crackdown 3

After the let down that was Crackdown 2 it was not surprising that they put Crackdown 3 on the shelf for a while, but ever since the game resurfaced two years ago I have dying to get my hands on Crackdown’s signature brand of full-scale super powered destruction.

3: Sea of Thieves

I hate MMOs, but I love pirates, and they rarely make pirate games worth playing.  Sea of Thieves looks to change all that.  Rare’s seems focused on making Sea of Thieves as fun as possible, and an MMO worth playing.  I hope they succeed!

2: Mass Effect: Andromeda

It has been four long years since Mass Effect 3 came out, and it will have been five by the time Andromeda comes out, so there is no way I am missing this game.  Any other year Mass Effect would be number one on my list, but next year has something special..

1: Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption is one of my favorite games all time, and I have waiting for what seems like forever for Red Dead Redemption 2 (forever is seven years apparently), so RDR 2 easily takes the top spot!

Honorable Mention: Cuphead is capitalizing on my love of hand drawn animation and fun boss battles.  This game looks like it will be tons of fun … if it ever comes out.

Looks like I have a lot of games to play next year!  What are you excited for in 2017?

 

 

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My Top Five Movies For 2017!

2017 looks to be a great year for movies, and I hope that everything pans out.  It was hard to narrow it down to five, though if you know me this list will not be too surprising, so here we go!

5: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

This first one was so amazing how could I not be excited for number 2!  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will be a must see event.  The only reason it ranks fifth is the strength of the rest of the list, not any doubts I have in this film.

4: Logan

Ugg this trailer makes me cry every time.  It looks like Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart are going out on a high note!  Also it will be fun to see how they fit Deadpool in to this film.  Logan is the Wolverine movie we have been waiting for.

3: Wonder Woman

We have been waiting for years for Wonder Woman to get her first solo film, and in 2017 it finally happens!  The time is right for a female led superhero film, and Warner Brothers needs this movie to be a critical and financial success, so they pulled out all the stops.  I can’t wait to see how it turned out.

2: Star Wars Episode 8

After two massive successes in a row, how could I not be excited for the next main line Star Wars film?  I will be in a seat day one for this film, and judging by the box office returns of the last two Star Wars movies, so will you.

1: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

The Fifth Element is one of my favorite films of all time, so I will not miss Luc Besson’s return to over the top Sci-Fi.  I know that it may be a surprising pick for number 1, but I am supper jazzed for this movie.  I want to watch it right now!

Honorable Mention: Lego Batman is the best Batman!

That is my list for next year, what are you guys looking forward to seeing?

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Shmee’s Top Five Games Of 2016!

I got to play a lot of video games this year, and for the most part they were good.  All the ones I played but didn’t like, generally I didn’t pay for, so that was nice.  This list was harder to make than my movie list because the game selection was so good this year, but enough of my rambling, to the games!

5: Overwatch

I wanted to hate this game.  They charged $60 for a multiplayer only shooter, but I don’t hate it.  I love it, and if my friends played it more so would I.  Yes Overwatch is pretty much just Team Fortress 3, but since Valve didn’t make Team Fortress 3 then I am happy that Blizzard did!  With Blizzard’s signature polish.

4: Hyper Light Drifter

My brother told me to back this game, and I am glad that he did.  It is a fantastic throwback.  Hyper Light Drifter plays like you remember Super Nintendo games playing, so in other words it is better than they ever were.  It is a little on the hard side, but never frustratingly so.

3: Titanfall 2

I don’t love all the changes they made to Titanfall 2’s multiplayer, but the single player they added was pitch perfect.  I never play single player campaigns twice, but I am jonesing to get back in to Titanfall 2’s.  It is great from beginning to end.

2: Forza Horizon 3

Forza Horizon 3 is my favorite racing game of all time.  I never thought any game could be better than Project Gotham 2, but Forza Horizon 3 is, and by a wide margin.  If you have a PC or an Xbox One you need to get Forza Horizon 3.  It is the realization of the open world racer that studios have been trying to make for years.  I am not sure how they will make a better Forza Horizon, but I hope they do.

1: Hitman

I thought 47 was a goner after Absolution, but Hitman brought him back with style.  This is the best Hitman game that has ever been made, and you should buy it post-haste.  You feel stealthy and lethal in just the right ways, and every mission seems to get better.  I cannot wait for season 2!

My Honorable Mentions go to Batman: The Telltale Series and Pokémon Go.  Batman: The Telltale Series is the Bruce Wayne simulator I never knew I wanted.  I hope I don’t have to wait as long for season 2 as I have been waiting for season 2 of A Wolf Among Us.  Pokémon Go is light on actual gameplay, but it merges the real world with the video game world in a way that has not been tried before.

This has been a great year for games, and it is also the year that I got back in to first person shooters.  I thought my FPS days were behind me, and that I would be playing only RPGs from here on out.  I was wrong, and I am glad that I was.  What were you top games of 2016?

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Shmee’s Top Five Movies Of 2016!

It is that time of year when things are slow, so people just start reposting stuff, but in list form, and who am I to break with tradition?  Here are the top five films I watched in theaters this year in reverse order!

5: Captain America: Civil War

The main line Marvel movies are starting to get a little crowded, but there were some unforgettable moments in Captain America: Civil War.  Spider-Man, the airport brawl, and the final Cap v Iron Man fight.  Well actual those are the only three things that I can remember, but they were pretty rad.

4: Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange borrowed pretty heavily from Iron Man, but luckily for us Iron Man is pretty great movie, so Iron Man starring Benedict Cumberbatch is still more than worth watching.  Plus it has one of the best endings ever for a superhero movie, and the world of magic opens all sorts of exciting possibilities for future Marvel films.

3: Star Trek Beyond

I am not sure anyone knew what to think when the Fast and Furious guy, Justin Lin, took over Star Trek from J.J. Abrams, but it turns out that he is a life long Trekkie who knew just what the series needed: Make a movie about the unknown, and then let the talented cast play off of one another.  It was great.  It is a shame that audiences didn’t show up to support this film, so the fourth NuTrek movie is in doubt.  I would love to see what Pegg and Lin have in store for us for their next outing.

2: Deadpool

So Fox went and finally did it, they brought the Merc with the Mouth to the big screen, and he did not disappoint.  He was crude, loud and funny, and he showed that Disney isn’t the only company that can make a proper superhero flick.  Ryan Reynolds I am sorry I doubted you.  Mostly.

1: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Another year, another great Star Wars movie.  I could get used to this.  Rogue One wasn’t as slick or as well plotted as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but it pulled the Star Wars Universe together in ways that other films never had.  It gave Star Wars its grit back, and it did it all without one Jedi.  If I were Disney I would skip the Han Solo movie and do more movies with new characters like Rogue One.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them deserves an honorable mention for showing us that there is more to the Wizarding World than The Boy Who Lived, but the next movie will need to focus more on the story at hand.

2016’s movies did not end up as good as 2015’s, but they were still consistently enjoyable.  I wish one of DC’s movies could have ended up on this list, but they still have a ways to go in the quality department.  Maybe with Wonder Woman coming out next year that will change.  I hope so.  What were you top movies from 2016?