The New Review - Ghostbusters Afterlife

Copyright by Sony

Ghostbusters Afterlife

Starring Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd

Directed by Jason Reitman

Concept: The Ghostbusters franchise coming back around for a Legacyquel of emotional proportions.

Execution

Here we go

Cast: Paul Rudd being his best Paul Rudd. Mckenna Grace was a great lead. And Finn Wolfard is so talented, he will be a legend some day. Surprise Bokeem Woodbine in there too! No doubt... Score: 20/20 (did you find the Josh Gad?)

Presentation: Imagine if the original movie never happened, and it was made now. You would expect better CGI and a modern soundtrack. Now... imagine that, but holding on to the spirit of the original movie. This is the modern Ghostbusters movie you were waiting for. I mean... I was waiting for...... dammit... WE were waiting for. Score: 20/20

Chronicle: So, we have a bit of retread in this movie. Gozer, the Stay Puft Marshmallow man, the protagonists end up in jail. But it is also a means to an end. The original movie, they didn't destroy, trap, or DEFEAT Gozer... they sent it back to it's own realm. It is safe to say, Ivo wasn't destroyed either in the Video Game. So... we have tied it all together, a retread was a necessary journey. It was a great way to end an era from a long standing fan favorite franchise. Score: 30/30

Impact: In an era of Legacyquels, not only did it need to cap off an era in the franchise...... we need a lynchpin for where the franchise can go from here. And... that was accomplished, even more than Tron: Legacy or Blade Runner 2049. Ghostbusters Afterlife is the best Legacyquel I've seen. Period. And... sets the groundwork for future legends Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace to take over. Score: 20/20

Extra Oomph: I cried. There is a moment. No spoiler from me...... but if you are a fan of the franchise, you know what is coming. And...... and it still hurt. It was emotional. And... it makes up for some of the harsh words Callie and Ray have for Egon during the movie. Also... I need to highlight that I think Phoebe is on the spectrum. Which means... she is even more like her grandfather. Because Egon was on the spectrum, as well. If I were to guess, I would say Egon was Asperger's. For those who know, how much sense does that make? And that adds more depth to a character who is...... gone. Good work! Score: 10/10

Final Score: 100/100

Final Grade: A++

Conclusion: Impressive Legacyquel that could've been made years ago, but...... the story was so wonderful, it was a better build. The best Legacyquel I've seen. I need more GHOSTBUSTERS!!!!

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat" that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: A MUST SEE! If you haven't yet, make time. It is a wonderful movie. Nostalgic. Emotional. Funny. And fits the formula. This is a Ghostbusters movie. Who you gonna call?

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Well, there you go! Ghostbusters Afterlife gets a 100!!!!!!!

Two 100s in a single movie season? That... happened. And we still have The Matrix Resurrections and Spider-Man: No Way Home to go.

What did you think about the movie? Did you get emotional too? Leave a comment. Share it. Go see this movie.

2021 has been good to us after the long hiatus from the theaters. Let's see if we get another 100.

Until next time, don't forget...

New Review Gaming - Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Pokémon Copyright Owned by Game Freak

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl

Developed by Game Freak

Exclusive on the Nintendo Switch

Concept: The latest in Pokémon remakes, Diamond and Pearl get the upgrade treatment. How does it stack up?

Disclaimer: I haven't finished the game yet, and I'm only looking at Brilliant Diamond. But... as with all Pokémon generations, both games are similar in function.

Execution

LET'S GO!

Presentation: This is a Remake. A remake of a older game with newer tech. Of course it is going to look great. The updated fight effect visuals are a welcome sight. Colors are crisp, and the original digital tracks from the DS era are remixed and present here. As expected... it is yet another solid remake. Not of the level of a new title though, I.E. Sword/Shield. Score: 23/25

Gameplay: So, Diamond/Pearl... remake. That is the foundation of the game, but some quality of life improvements have improved upon it! Retains the EXP Share concept from Sword/Shield. And the new HM system is SO much better. Instead of wasting move slots for the HM moves or wasting a roster spot on a mule, you call wild Pokémon to perform the moves. With it, the TM system has changed. Unlike Sword/Shield, the TMs break upon usage, but how you obtain them determines how many you get. If you buy or find a TM, you get 1. If a stranger gives you a TM, you get 3 of that TM. And if a Gym Leader gives you a TM, you get 5! The cost of them are lower. And they are more readily available. Battles have gained the Effective system, so you can see what moves are best for the fight you are in. Which is great... but even though I haven't finished Brilliant Diamond yet, I know how the original was. And watching a few YouTube videos, this one aspect has been changed...... HARSH level gap between the 8th Gym and the Elite Four. Expect to grind after getting that 8th badge. Score: 24/25

Chronicle: With the introduction of this new type of review post, we need to throw a new predecent in. I have never played Pokémon for the story. Not once. I love the gameplay. So, I will highlight the story...... um...... it's Pokémon. Kid go out with a animal, kicking the asses of other animals, all while an evil organization is taking on more than they can muster...... and that is it. But since I don't play it for story... Score: N/20

Legacy: Again, it is a remake. Diamond/Pearl was the first Pokemon game on DS, and that is a pretty solid achievement. So how do the remakes make an impact? Yes and no. So personally, Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby have been the best remakes... and Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl improve on the formula, incorporate some from Sword/Shield, but I wish they would've used the full sprites instead of the chibis. Now... it is the first remake to hit the Switch. Just makes me think they could make a game with all the areas. Keep the chibi sprites... give me all the areas. Still fun... but a health reminder what could be possible. Score: 16/20

Extra Oomph: For the first time, I don't have anything here. That isn't a single aspect that jumps out at me aside from the HM system. It is cute that Bidoof is usually the Pokémon that helps you when you call for an HM helper. Bidoof was the perfect HM Mule. So... tongue-in-cheek humor from Game Freak. So...... Score: 5/10

Final Score: 68/80 (85%)

Final Grade: B

Conclusion: It's a remake. A remake of a wonderful game. A wonderful remake of a wonderful game. And... it aspires to be more.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat" that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: If you have never played it, buy it. If you played the original, I leave it up to you if you want to. I bought it because I LOVE the Pokémon gameplay.

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There you go! Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl has gotten a B!!!!

Does that shock you?

What you think about the gaming review format? I will have better ones in the near future, consider this the test run.

Until next time...

Game Of Functions - Nintendo 2021 Edition

We are starting something new on here! We are going to start including gaming! And up above are the new logos for the segments(at least the ones starting up). Game Of Functions will be the Musings for Gamings. And New Review Gaming will be... reviews.

And we are startint with a hybrid. I want to highlight a product and service, give some opinions/reviews on them... but there will be no scoring on this post.

Let's begin...

The product in question is the Nintendo Switch OLED. After searching for one, I was finally able to get one. And this is my FOURTH Switch. I got one when it released... and sold it. I fell off it. Then I got a second one when Diablo 3 came out for it... and stuck with it. Earlier this year, I got the Mario Anniversary Red one, with the upgraded battery. And now... here we are on the OLED. I knew going into the OLED, I was primarily a docked user. Just the way I did it. But I had been playing handheld due to routine changes. And that is where the OLED shines. So many rumors about a Switch Pro, those people who bought into that were disappointed. And I get it. But they did it to themselves. Nintendo never promised that. Never even brought it up. What they released was a Switch with an OLED screen...

So... let's talk about WHAT Nintendo upgraded on this model. First, the screen. It is in the name. OLED. What is OLED? Organic LED. Individual pixel lit up with organic material. OLED gives you a better chance at clear brightness, color contrast(with OLED, 2 pixels next to each other can be ANY color), and OLED tends to draw less power meaning better battery life. The screen is bigger than previous models. It is brighter than previous models. The color contrast is wonderful. And Nintendo released the red box models with double the battery life, but I never got the full 5-6 hours on the Mario Red model, close... but never got it. The OLED, on the other hand, I definitely get the battery life out of it. They boasted better sound quality. And out of the Switch OLED's speakers, it is a drastic improvement. Tabletop mode boasted a better kickstand, and that is very clear, but I don't use it in Tabletop. And then... double internal storage, but if you aren't using an SD Card already, then the extra storage doesn't matter. And this...... is all in Handheld/Tabletop modes. The ONLY improvement for docked more is a LAN port. This was ALL Handheld. And......

It made me a primary Handheld user! It may still only be 720p in Handheld, but it looks so much better. And if you say you don't see it... you do, you are just whiny. I recommend the OLED for ANYONE that is primarily a Handheld user. Just... good luck finding one.

Now... the service in question... Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass. This caused so much controversy. Why? Entitled whiny ass bitches who don't understand that Nintendo makes money... off their stuff. So I will tell you how my pricing changed. I was doing a family membership(still am). Went from $35/year to $80/year. A $55 increase. That is quite a bit, considering what the cost was. But a family plan can have 8 users, that is $10/year/user. So... if you have an issue with cost, get 7 of your friends together and split the cost. Individual membership went from $20/year to $50/year. A $30 increase. For those that still have a Wii U, an N64 game on Virtual Console costs $10/each. And the N64 Switch Online service launched with 9 games. That is $90. So to play those games on VC, it would cost you $90. That is 3 years worth of the $30 increase to your Individual Membership cost...... and there are MORE N64 games coming, plus the other perks...... speaking of which...

The perks of the Expansion Pass are small, for now. It launched with the Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis Switch Online services. 9 N64 games(including heavy hitter Ocarina of Time) and 14 Genesis games. With a promise to grow those services(with the N64 highlighting Majora's Mask, Paper Mario, and Banjo-Koozie), it'll have more games to play with. And that isn't even including the long list of Genesis games coming too. And then the DLC. Currently, those with the Expansion Pass can get the Paid Animal Crossing DLC for FREE. $25 DLC. Free. On my account, I'm sure of 2 users, possible a 3rd, on my account that play Animal Crossing. That is $75(3 users) that no one had to pay for it. If that ends up being the standard, can you imagine a game like Breath of the Wild 2 getting DLC included on the Expansion Pass? This a great idea for the loyalists! I'm down. We will see how it develops. As for the value... it is a great value considering how much it would be get the equipment and games to play these classics legally. And if you don't see value in it...... that it YOUR opinion. Also... if you use emulation and ROMs as your reasoning, shut your damn mouth.

Last piece... we are going to touch on Anniversaries. Specifically, the Zelda 35th. So far... a Game & Watch, Skyward Sword HD, and Ocarina of Time on the N64 service... oh and a set of Joy-Cons. And that is it so far. What the hell is up with that?(of course I bought all of those)

There you go, everyone. The first edition of Game Of Functions. No need for reciew scores, because I haven't figured out what I need for a scoring system for gaming. But I will figure it out.

Until then... Game On Until It Is Game Over!!!

Renewed Musings - The Turkey and The Stuffing

Welcome Readers! I would like to introduce you to "Renewed Musings"! This segment will be opinion/editorial pieces. Whatever just... works. But I need to warn you before hand, in the past, these kind of posts never really had structure. I tend to ramble, and I don't mean to. But... passion is the name of the game.

So... let's get this going... with our first topic: Thanksgiving. More so... Thanksgiving in movies.

Before we get to the movies, I need to make clear my stance on the holiday season. I hate most of it. I'm not an overly positive person. But I get why so many people love the holiday season. And I do have a favorite holiday in the stretch. Halloween. Spooky season is amazing. And then of course, for many people, Christmas is a huge tent pole(if you don't celebrate Christmas, and celebrate another holiday instead... that isn't the point... doesn't apply here). But what about Turkey Day? I mean... usually, my local Walmart starts putting out Christmas shit the day after Halloween. This year, they started BEFORE Halloween! And either way, what about Thanksgiving? Turkey Day accessories? Maybe fall themed placemats? Plushie Cornucopia? I mean... the browns and oranges would make for GREAT decor! But...

Why forget about Thanksgiving!?!?! Sure... Halloween... dressing up in costumes... spookiness... and candy. And Christmas is the Holiday for Capitalism and gift giving. But Thanksgiving is about food, family, and togetherness. Makes me miss all my family and friends that I've lost, but makes me thankful for the ones that are still here. So why doesn't Thanksgiving get more love?

Same thing goes for Hollywood. Just about every long running TV series has some kind of Thanksgiving episode... but movies... not so much. I wanted to make a Top 10 list, but... I only got 5 or 6 movies(that I've seen) that I MIGHT consider Thanksgiving movies. Movies that have to do with Thanksgiving as a plot point. I make that distinction, because I was researching T-Day movies... and Ranker threw Rocky at me. Rocky isn't a Thanksgiving movie. So... I will highlight these few movies... and we will come back.

So let's start with "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving". At least Charles Schultz remembered the Turkey. He had plenty of holiday specials, including The Great Pumpkin... but he DID bring the stuffing. I just gotta point out, the dinner the Peanuts gang put together... WAS accidentally racist. It was awesome that they included Franklin(the only black kid in the group) to be a part of the dinner, but did they really have to give him a side of the table to himself? Regardless... it is a good animated movie highlighting the togetherness of Thanksgiving.

Next movie I want to highlight is "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles". Legendary inadvertent buddy comedy starring the iconic Steve Martin and John Candy, directed by another legend, John Hughes. Mishaps befall this duo trying to make it across country for this holiday. Sometimes regarded as the ONLY Thanksgiving movie. That means something. Watch it, if you haven't.

Another movie to point out is "Dutch". Starring Ed O'Neill(yes, Al Bundy). Dutch is dating a rich girl. Due to plans getting canceled, Dutch goes to bring her snobby son from a private school home for Thanksgiving. A road trip, buddy comedy with Turkey as the goal. Guess what? Written by John Hughes!!!

Next movie I need to bring up is "The War At Home". Starring Emilio Estevez. Directed by Emilio. Co-produced by Emilio. Co-starring Martin Sheen. About a soldier with PTSD being forced by his father to adjust to civilian life and Thanksgiving.

Don't worry, I'm not going to forget about "Son In Law". During the height of Pauly Shore's Paulyness. Farm girl goes to college, meets and falls in love with the Pauliest of Shores... and decided to take him back home for Thanksgiving. And then more Paulyness ensues. Did I mention this was a Pauly Shore movie?

And one Unlockable Gem for you all... "The Ice Storm". Ang Lee and I have a torrid history. Some GREAT Asian Epic films, Life of Pi, Brokeback Mountain... but I avoided Gemini Man and... Hulk(Eric Bana) felt like it was made from the perspective of a Nerd with ADHD that just came out of a coma. But "The Ice Storm" is underrated.

There are a few other movies where Thanksgiving is present or at least present, but not a plot point. "Spider-Man" and "Addams Family Values" are just 2 example. But it all goes to show that there isn't much love for T-Day in movies, and honestly... why the hell not!?!

And I have to highlight one more...... just to show you how absurd it is! The movie is... "Dan In Real Life". Steve Carell killed in this movie. And as the center of it is an annual family get together. An... annual... family... get... together. This could've been a Thanksgiving movie. This could've been a Christmas movie. But it was neither of those things. The perfect up for a wonderful Thanksgiving movie...... and it isn't set during ANY holiday at all...

People love family comedies. Thanksgiving is about family, and friends, and food! Hollywood... come on... you can do something with that! You have for DECADES! And honestly, you can adapt those random family comedies. It can't be that hard...

Just add the Turkey and the Stuffing...