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Shmee Hangs Out With Pete’s Dragon!

Like with all things Disney, Pete’s Dragon got a remake.  The question is, is it any good?  Sure, it is okay.  It is a fine family film, but I don’t think it will be many people’s favorite movie.  It will be something to watch before you put the kids to bed, and you will not need to pay a lot of attention to it.  If you were a major fan of the 1977 original, this movie is nothing like that one, other than the titular Pete and his Dragon.

The original movie was a musical that took place around the turn of the 20th Century.  The new movie starts in 1977 (clever) then fast forwards to 1983.  In the original Pete’s Dragon, Elliott the Dragon got in to all sorts of mischief while he was invisible.  The new Elliott stays in the forest until an orphaned Pete (Oakes Fegley), who he has been taking care of, gets taken from him, and he has to find him.  Then Elliott gets hunted by some loggers.

At least unlike the other Disney remake’s, this movie is not a shot for shot update.  It is a new movie with a similar premise, so if you like movies with invisible dragons and Petes, the two Pete’s Dragons are just what you are looking for.  If you wanted an update to the previous film, you could be disappointed.

The acting is all what you would expect for a movie like this.  It is all a little too sappy and sweet.  Even Karl Urban as the ‘bad guy’ isn’t really that bad.  He is just trying to make ends meet, and he thinks a dragon is a great way to do that.  Which it probably would be.  If there was some way to keep a massive dragon contained.

If you need a movie to watch with your kids, and you have seen everything else, the 2016 Pete’s Dragon is a fine choice.  As is the 1977 movie.  Though neither of them, while well thought of, are going to be held up as true Disney classics any time soon.  I liked it, my kid liked it, and my wife liked it.  I just don’t think any of us loved it, but hey it is on Netflix, so that is good.

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Shmee Takes On PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds!

Considering how popular PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is, it was only a matter of time before I picked it up, and I am disappointed that it took me this long to get it.  It is a ton of fun, and for only $30 (or less), it is more than worth your money.  If you have a computer that can run it that is.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with Battlegrounds, let me tell you how it works.  At the start of each match you and 99 other people jump from a plane to a large island and then start to look for weapons and equipment in houses and shacks.  As the game progresses, a blue wall of static starts to close in around you.  If you get hit by the wall it will kill you pretty quickly (more quickly as the game progresses), so you need to keep moving towards safe areas.  You can find cars, buggies and motorcycles to help you move faster, but those attract attention, so you will be running a lot.  You of course are shooting/punching everyone you see as you do all this.  If you are the last person or team to survive, you win.  I have never won.

Due to the random nature of A: How the plane travels across the island, B: Weapon and gear spawns, and C: Where the safe zones will be.  The game is never quite the same twice.  Sometimes you get the perfect spot, and you just get to wait for all the other players to come running towards your well fortified house.  Other times it is like that movie Run Lola Run.  You are trying to get from one side of the map to other, and you are blasting through and looting houses as fast as you can, and you are always just a couple of steps in front of the wall until some sniper ends your journey.

Some people complain that it is too random, but so far, even when I am the first person out, I am having fun.  You just never know what to expect.  I imagine that the randomness will make it hard for the pro circuit, since some teems will just get better starting points than others, but I am no pro, so it doesn’t matter to me.

If you have a decent PC, you should get this game.  It is fun, and you can play a round in 30 to 40 minutes.  It is in early access now, but they are working hard to create a full release build soon.  If you don’t have a PC, you just need to be patient, they are working on getting an Xbox One version out late this year or early next year, and then a PS4 version will follow that.

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Shmee Heads Back To The Inquisition!

Have you ever enjoyed a game a lot, but then another game came along and distracted you, so you never finished the first game?  Well that happened to me with Dragon Age: Inquisition.  I was almost done with Inquisition when the The Witcher 3 came out, and while Inquisition is a great game, The Witcher 3 is almost perfect.  The 2017 Xbox Ultimate Sale had all the Inquisition DLC marked down, so it was the perfect time to jump back in.  The question is, does the game hold up?

Pretty much.  Dragon Age: Inquisition kind of lives in The Witcher 3’s shadow now, so it will always be viewed as a less than.  A lot of people out there like to rag on it now.  Especially after Mass Effect: Andromeda, which had all of Inquisition’s flaws, but to a much higher degree, and it makes Inquisition look worse because of the comparisons.   Which is a shame.  The party members and the main quest for Inquisition are very well written, and I really enjoyed finishing up their story.  Not to mention it still has the old school pause-able combat, and I love being able to get tactical when I need to.

I have had a lot of fun going back and playing this game, and if you haven’t played it yet, I still think it is worth your time.  I know a lot of people out there have decided that in hindsight it is not very good, but I think it is still a great game, and it offers a ton game for your money.  Is it as good as The Witcher 3? No, but very few games are, and that shouldn’t take away from the fun you can have with Dragon Age: Inquisition.  I have enjoyed rejoining the Inquisition.

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Game Of Thrones Is Back And The Worst Is Still To Come!

After what seems like forever, Game of Thrones is back with season seven, and while it starts off with a bang, the first episode was mostly setting up the pieces on the board for the last round of the great game.  None of the players, save one, are in great positions.

The Starks are up against the Wall and the White Walkers to the north, and Cersei Lannister and what is left of her armies to the south.  Speaking of Cersei, she has no allies, enemies at all sides, and even her brother is not sure about her.  Though at this point, no one is counting her out.  Which leaves Daenerys Targaryen, while she has the dragons and the numbers, what she doesn’t have is information.  She has no idea what the Starks are up against, and I doubt she can fathom what Cersei is capable of.

Now the players are set, and the last game is about to be played.  The question is can they finish it before the White Walkers finish them?  I will be watching with great interest, wondering: How quickly does all this intrigue devolve in to driving snow and dragon fire?  About six more episodes I am guessing.

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I Visit Castlevania!

Netflix is really doing everything in its power to make sure it has all its bases covered.  It has been busy licensing a lot of anime, and with Voltron and recently Castlevania, it is making some of its own.  Both series are quite good.  Voltron for the family viewers and Castlevania for the hardcore crowd.  Castlevania’s issue may be that it is too over-the-top.  It is a non-stop gore-fest.

If you remember anything about the games, you will be at home here.  Dracula (Graham McTavish) has gone off the deep end, and only Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage) can stop him.  There is more to it, but the beginning is the most shocking part of the series, so I don’t want to spoil it.

Adi Shankar’s fingerprints are all over Castlevania.  Every scene drips with blood and violence.  It holds nothing back.  If you have seen his Dredd shorts on YouTube.com, you will know what you are in for.  You can tell he has been dying to make something like this for a long time.  It is almost a shame fellow producer and primary financier Fred Seibert (Frederator Networks, Inc.) couldn’t restrain him a little.

The voice acting is all well done.  Armitage and McTavish are particularly great.  You can feel their apathy and disgust with the world.  The backup actors are good too.  Filling in their little pieces of the world.

I can only recommend Castlevania to a small group of people.  People who know what Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is, and love it.  This is like the American version of that, but with Castlevania’s lore, and buckets of animated blood.  If that interests you, the series is only four short episodes long, so it is worth a view.  I liked it, but I also love Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.