Shmee.Me

February 21, 2014

Trayvax: My New Wallet!

One of the several Kickstarter projects I have backed is this cool wallet called Trayvax. It is pretty much a money clip with an adjustable Velcro strap on the back. It also features a bag holder and a bottle opener. The biggest plus is that it has forced me to cut down on the amount of stuff that I carry around, so it is much more comfortable in my pockets.

If a cool metal utility money clip is some thing that you would be interested in, head over to trayvax.com, and check it out. They are made in America by a new small business owner named Mark. I like mine a lot, and I am glad I could back this guy, so that he could produce this wallet.

February 20, 2014February 20, 2014

What I Don’t and Do Want From The Fantastic Four!

So Fox has cast its new Fantastic Four film with Michael B. Jordan as The Human Torch, Kate Mara as The Invisible Woman, Miles Teller as Mr. Fantastic, and Jamie Bell as The Thing. It is obvious they are going for a younger crowd with this movie, and that is fine, but I do have some thoughts on how to make their movie better.

I Don’t Want Another Origin Story!

Please don’t make me see these kids hit by gamma radiation, and then learn how to be super heroes. We have seen that like a hundred times now. It would be fun to just have a movie about the Fantastic Four and their amazing adventures.

I Do Want X-Men Crossovers!

If Fox is going to hold on to both the Fantastic Four and X-Men it would be wonderful if they would show up in each other’s movies. Create the Fox-Marvel universe. It would be awesome to have Mr. Fantastic ask for advice from Professor X! Plus any movie is better with Patrick Stewart.

I Don’t Want Anymore Moping!

If any set of superheroes loves their powers it is the Fantastic Four. Sure The Thing has some love-life issues, but it would be great to have some heroes not weighed down by the “burden” of their amazing powers.

I Do Want Some Clobbering Time!

The Thing is supposed to be able to go toe to toe with the Hulk, so I want to see him just destroy some stuff. Maybe like a whole Army base or something. The Thing can literally make or break this film.

I Don’t Want The Characters To Be Dumb!

These guys are super scientists for crying out loud! Please let them make good choices, and at least act like the super smart people they are. Sure Johnny Storm can be a little dumb at times, but the Fantastic Four as a group should be pretty keen.

I Do Want Another Bad Guy Besides Dr. Doom!

Dr. Doom will no doubt be in this movie, but I really am not his biggest fan, so I am hopping that they bring in someone else. I know Marvel is keeping all the best bad guys for themselves, but there are still a bunch of good ones to choose from like Devos the Devastator who wants to bring “peace” to the universe.

That is my basic list, but I would have to say my biggest want is for this just to be a good movie. The last Fantastic Four movies at their best were forgettable, so it would be a nice change of pace for this new movie to not be terrible. Do you guys have anything you want to see from this new F4 film?

February 19, 2014

About Time For A Movie Review!

About Time, the 2013 film from Universal Pictures, was hyped as a new romantic comedy from the writer of Love Actually and Notting Hill, but it ends up being more about a man’s relationship with his father, and that is a good thing. It manages not to get caught in the normal rom-com trappings, and actually be much more engaging and heartwarming.

The story starts off with our hero Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) remembering a bad night, only to be interrupted from his sorrow by his sister (Lydia Wilson) who says his dad (Bill Nighy) is looking for him. His dad informs him that he can travel back in time in his own life. He decides to try out his new found power on the aforementioned bad night, fixing all his errors. Instead of using this power to get rich, he decides that he is going to use it to get a girlfriend.

At first I was apprehensive about this movie because it sounded like the guy in this movie was just going to manipulate women in to going out with him, but the writer Richard Curtis is too smart for that to be the case, so for the most part Tim uses his power for good, and to not be a total looser. The most gripping use of the time travel is in his interactions with his father.

It should come as no surprise that veteran actor Bill Nighy is great in this film as the father. He is charming and loving, and he plays a very compassionate father without getting too cheesy. Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams play the central couple well. They make their love affair seem real, and it is great to see them go through life’s struggles together.

This movie really surprised me. I am used to romantic comedies just using the same old tropes, and tugging at the same heart strings over and over, but a clever plot, and good actors make this a movie worth watching. If they made more romantic comedies like About Time, the genre wouldn’t be circling the trash bin like it is now.

February 18, 2014

The Trouble With The Elder Scrolls Online!

I have played in The Elder Scrolls Online beta quite a bit, and I can say it is one of the best Massively Multiplayer Online games I have ever played. That being the case, I will not be playing it when it comes out. My friends know that MMOs are my least favorite genre of games, and TESO does nothing to change that. It is the same as just about every other MMO out there, except it is extremely polished, and full of content.

If you like MMOs that last paragraph should be very exciting for you. TESO is the best World of Warcraft clone I have ever seen. It has a deep story, they have added first person combat, and a good blocking and dodging system, but for me The Elder Scrolls has always been about my hero’s journey. It is hard to buy that I am the chosen one if I cannot affect the world I am playing in, and everyone is lining up to hear the same plot points I just heard. Plus when you are sent to some dark cave to find something and there are twenty other people in there it kind of ruins the exploration, and I don’t want to wait around to party up so I can go and complete my quests.

These are the same problems every other MMO has, so if you don’t mind these things, than The Elder Scrolls Online should be high on your list of games to play. If you are like me, and you have never liked the MMO genre, than The Elder Scrolls Online will not change your mind. It is simply the best of an existing genre, it doesn’t push it forward and become something new. I am sure that TESO will have an open beta soon, and I do think you should give it a try when it does, but this game is just not for me. I hope they come out with The Elder Scrolls 6 soon!

February 17, 2014February 17, 2014

Thoughts On The Titanfall Beta!

So Microsoft, EA, and the developer of Titanfall, Respawn Entertainment, released the beta for Titanfall over the last weekend, and it was magnificent. There hasn’t been a beta or a demo that has been this much fun for me since EA and DICE released the Battlefield 1942 Wake Island demo, and I think Titanfall is going to be just as important for the First-Person-Shooter genre.

For those of you that don’t know Titanfall is made by the original makers of the Call of Duty franchise who have left Activision and formed a new studio. The game is about a war in the future, and it is fought by pilots who can call giant Mechs in to battle with them. They also have jump jets on their backs so they can double jump and wall run over the cityscapes.

Titanfall plays like they took, Halo, Battlefield, Call of Duty, MechAssault, and Mirror’s Edge and shook really hard until just the best parts remained. It is better than the sum of its parts, and they only released a little bit of it for public consumption. I can’t wait to see what is left to discover.

If you like FPSs you should be extremely excited for this game, and even if you don’t this is a game that you are going to want to play. Save your penny’s because Titanfall is a day one purchase, and something people will be playing for years to come. Heck if they charged $60 for the beta I would probably pay it because it is just that good.