Renewed Top 10 - Famous Actors In Video Games

Time for a new Renewed Top 10. And this one gets credited to Mr. Bob Garlen!

We are about to highlight Famous Actors that have does voiceovers or even face captures for video games.

Simple rule... if they are MORE known for voice acting, they are not qualified for this list. Also... I need to have played it the game for it to qualify.

Along with the name of the actor, I will also cite the name of the game or game series they are featured in. And... you might only see one game/series per name, unless there is a reason I decide on. You'll get it.

So... how about it?

Top 10 Famous Actors In Video Games

Here we go...

Honorable Mention: Mark Hamill - Batman Arkham Series: So... Mark Hamill is Luke Skywalker. But he has also been the main voice for the Joker since Batman The Animated Series. So... while it counts, it also doesn't count.

10. Seth Green - Mass Effect Trilogy: Seth Green does alot of voice work. But he also does plenty of acting gigs. The reason this is getting mentioned is because his work as Joker(unrelated) was one of the best non-Seth Greeny roles he has done. If you know, you know.

9. Keifer Sutherland - Metal Gear Solid V: Simple here. Keifer Sutherland has a history of playing badasses. So... why not hire him to voice Solid Snake in MGS5? It worked so well. I hope he gets another shot at it.

8. Samuel L. Jackson - Grand Theft Auto San Andreas: Sam Jackson as the villain cop? Yeah, it's GTA. So... of course.

7. Jack Black- Brütal Legend: Jack Black plays a roadie turned into a fantasy level heavy metal hero. And you can't have Heavy Metal fantasy with legends of Metal... so, Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy Kilmister, Lita Ford are all in it as well.

6. Martin Sheen - Mass Effect Trilogy: I know... 2 from Mass Effect. But as a cinephile, it was awesome to hear Martin Sheen voice the Illusive Man!!!

5. Ray Liotta - Grand Theft Auto Vice City: The late great Ray Liotta. He was know as a mobster actor(well, again... if you know, you know). So, it made since to turn him into a video game mobster.

4. Keanu Reeves - Cyberpunk 2077: This game has had a horrible reputation due to all of the bugs. But... it is now a playable, amazing game. And at the core of the game's marketing is that Keanu Reeves was a main character. You don't get to play as him all that much, but think of him a douchebag holographic Jiminy Cricket.

3. Rami Malek - Until Dawn: I would like to point out that Rami Malek isn't the only big actor in this horror/thriller game, it also features Hayden Panettiere and Peter Stormare. But can either of them say they have an Oscar? Rami Malek can.

2. Elijah Wood - Legend of Spyro Trilogy: Spyro went through a reboot phase, and who did they get to voice Spyro? Frodo... Baggins!!! And just as a surprise, they got Gary Oldman to do the trilogy as well! And... honestly... it was more shocking to see Elijah Wood do it more than Gary Oldman... because Gary would do... anything.

And the number one famous actor in a video game...

1. Sir Patrick Stewart - Castlevania Lords of Shadow and Elders Scroll IV Oblivion: Let's start with Oblivion, because it is... brief. Stewart voices Uriel Septim VII, the emperor that is killed at the beginning of Oblivion. But... Castlevania Lords of Shadow, Sir Patrick Stewart voices Zobek, friend of Gabriel Belmont and ultimately the main antagonist of the first game(though you don't know that until it is revealed). He returns in the second game to with a warning to Gabriel(now Dracula) about Satan's return. Now... side note... both games ALSO include the great Robert Carlyle as Gabriel and Jason Issacs as Satan... but I chose to highlight Patrick Stewart because... it is SIR PATRICK STEWART. Also... he also voice Charles Xavier in the X-Men tie-in games AND the X-Men Legends action RPG games.

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Any that you have played with famous actors in them?

Share with us!!!

Until next time...

Don't forget...

The New Review - Thor: Love and Thunder

Copyright by Disney/Marvel

Thor: Love and Thunder

Director: Taika Waititi

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale

Concept: Taika's go with Thor, a sequel to Ragnarok. And the 4th in the series. And this one... we get introduced to Mighty Thor, aka Dr. Jane Foster!!!

Slightly Spoilery. That is your warning.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: Hemsworth Thors it up again. You know it. Tessa Thompson with a great support role. Natalie Portman did a great job as the hero. But the highlight of the movie is Christian Bale. His Gorr the God Butcher was amazing. Creepy. The other 3 brought their A game, but Bale brought his A+ game. Score: 18/20

Presentation: Rockin' soundtrack. Bright and colorful. But... equally depressing and dark. And one of the most depressing starts to an MCU movie do far. Straight to the heartstrings. And set a tone that permeates the whole movie. But... the humor, while expected, did take away from the movie a little bit. It wasn't OVERLY funny, like Ragnarok was. But the timing of some of it was out of place. Korg... isn't necessary anymore. Score: 17/20

Chronicle: this is movie with two stories: one for the heroes(Thor, Jane, Valkyrie) and one for the villain(Gorr). The hero story was... happy, positive with a tragic ending. The villain story was dark, depressing with a somewhat peaceful ending. And... that yin yang type works... just know, they feel like two different movies melted together. Not a bad thing... most of the time. And in this case it does, for the most part. The hero side of the story was filled with so many clichés and tropes(but not the one I expected), but it also turned one around(fridging into a hero's death). The villain side... once again, the villain's motivation was justified. But... justified in both sides(the God he worshipped personally... and then the Gods Thor went to for help). The audience understood why. But... methods are what made him a true villain. So... understandable motivations... but despicable actions. A well developed character, portrayed by one of the best actors. Yay to well developed villains. Boo to cramming in too many clichés. Score: 26/30

Impact: Taika Waititi is the first director to repeat in the Thor franchise. And... I was worried going in that Taika would fall into his own trope: overly funny until a serious tone shift. That DIDN'T happen this time. Yes... some of the jokes weren't necessary. But a few were pretty damn good.

"Call the Axe."

"You need to call the dentist." That... worked so well. But the tone was split. Colorful with happy/dark with dreary. And setting up the concept for a sequel. Taika isn't one of favorites when it comes to directors, but because he DID subvert by negative expectations, he is my only choice for the next movie. Score: 20/20

Extra Oomph: Let's address the negative. And then the positives. The negative... TOO MANY CLICHÉS AND TROPES IN THIS MOVIE. It was a love letter to the 80s action/adventure films. But... that means all the crap with it. And it CAN work. Just don't fill a 1 lb sausage casing with 2 lbs of sausage. It doesn't all fit. And shouldn't. It was cool. But might be too much cool. Make sense? Does to me. But... one tired trope got turned on its head. Fridging. Fridging is a trope where someone dies(usually female)to motivate the hero(like in Deadpool 2). Jane Foster dies in this movie. The power of Thor is accelerating her cancer. She chooses the let the power take the last of her strength so she could help Thor defeat Gorr. She died a hero instead of the motivation(and post credits show he joining Heimdall in Valhalla for it). And that was a great touch. And lastly, I can't say enough about how great Christian Bale was. Easily top 5 role for him(because he has so many great ones). Helps me forgive the movie for the clichés, but doesn't eraae them. Score: 8/10

FINAL SCORE: 89/100

FINAL GRADE: B+

Conclusion: The duality of the movie makes this one a bit different than the other MCU movies. And both sides are equally understandable and tragic. Overstuffed with 80s tropes without being an overly 80s movie, but balanced enough that it doesn't matter as much.

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: Thor Love and Thunder is a pretty good movie with a decently woven story to tell. I was pleasantly surprised. And it is absolutely one of Christian Bale's best roles. As for the movie, I do recommend seeing it, just like most of the other MCU movies. It isn't a top 10 MCU movie, but it is one of the better Thor movies...

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There you have it folks! Thor: Love and Thunder has gotten......... an 89!!!!

Did you see it? What did you think? What would have changed about Jane's death? What would you have done about Gorr's story?

Comment and share!!

Until next time...

Don't forget...

Renewed Top 10 - July Blockbuster Month

It is that time again. July is the final of the Blockbuster months before the next Dump Months. So... let's get to it.

Here are the top 5 Grossing for July

1. The Lion King Live action (7/19/2019) $543m

2. The Dark Knight (7/18/2008) $533m

3. The Dark Knight Rises (7/20/2012) $448m

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (7/7/2006) $423m

5. Spider-Man Far From Home (7/2/2019) $390m

Now... let's get to MY list.

Top 10 Movies Release In July

Here we go...

Honorable Mention 1: Ant-Man(7/17/2015): In my opinion, the better MCU movies are the ones that don't follow the typical MCU Superhero formula. And so far, Neither Ant-Man movie has. The first one was a Heist movie, the second one was a prison break movie.

Honorable Mention 2: Inception(7/16/2010): Christopher Nolan. Leo. Dream inside a dream inside a dream. One of more innovative movies of the last few decades.

Honorable Mention 3: Legend of Tarzan(7/1/2016): Spirtual sequel to one of my favorite movies of all time(Greystoke). And instead of Christopher Lambert playing the Ape-Man... it is Alexander Skarsgård. With supporting cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie, and Christoph Waltz... it surprised me.

10. Blair Witch Project(7/30/1999): No longer unique. Made the "Found Footage" movie a thing... and still one of the best to do it. I knew it was fiction... but I remember watching it the first time thinking it wasn't. And it still sticks with me.

9. The Wolverine(7/26/2013): A handful of sources talk about Logan being the first time we got to see Wolverine at his most visceral. And... while it was gory, The Wolverine was still violent... action packed... and captured who the character really was. This movie is underrated. And it deserves more love.

8. National Lampoon's Vacation(7/29/1983): The Griswold Family. After so many "Vacations", the original is still my favorite. And the theme is still awesome.

7. Forrest Gump(7/6/1994): Tom Hanks and Gary Sinise with some of their BEST work. I remember seeing this movie with my Mom in the local theater... and it was the FIRST time I had ever been to a movie that not only had every seat filled, it was standing room only. And... it is the reason I feel like the movie theater is my safe place, my sanctuary. Because there were so many people packed in there to watch this movie... people I didn't know... but we were all there for one reason. To watch this movie. And it just felt... good.

6. Back To The Future(7/3/1985): Michael J. Fox... Christopher Lloyd... Time Machine... Time Travel... and almost incest. You know this movie.

5. Die Hard(7/20/1988): The CHRISTMAS movie that put Bruce Willis through a tower of pain vs Hans Gruber and his gang. Never forget.

4. The Mask(7/29/1994): Jim Carrey was already know for being Rubber Faced... so... why not cast him as a Rubber Faced Anti-Hero? Oh... and don't forget about Cameron Diaz!!!! Damn.

3. Terminator 2 Judgment Day(7/3/1991): The best of the Terminator franchise. Arnold went from antagonist to protagonist. And the T-1000 was introduced. We had this on VHS, and we watched it every year. It was a staple.

2. Robocop(7/17/1987): Yes... Robocop OVER Terminator. I remember when I was little, the scene with the murder of Murphy grossed me out. But eventually, I got over that. And Robocop became one of my favorite movies, and favorite franchises of all time. Quotable. Memorable. Brutal. So good.

And the Number One Released in the Month of July...

1. The Dark Knight(7/18/2008): The Best of the Nolan Batman Trilogy. An Oscar for Heath Ledger... amazing performances out of Bale, Eckhart, Oldman, Freeman. For a director that if also known for extraordinary premises like in Inception and Tenet, his Batman was quite rooted in things that could actually happen in reality. And The Dark Knight was the best example of that.

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What did you all think? Any July movies I missed?

Comment and share!

Until next time...

Don't forget...

Renewed Top 10 - June Blockbuster Month

This is my first official post back... hopefully back. Going to try and get it going again.

Bear with me.

I missed out on June. So let's make sure it gets represented. And like always, let's start with the highest grossing movies for the Month of June.

1. Jurassic World(6/12/2015) $652m

2. Incredibles 2(6/15/2018) $608m

3. Finding Dory(6/17/2016) $486m

4. E.T.(6/11/1982) $435m

5. Toy Story 4(6/21/2019) $434m

6. The Lion King(6/24/1994) $421m

Now... on to MY list.

Top 10 Movies Released In June

Here we go

Honorable Mention 1: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie(6/30/1995): Power Rangers are still a part of my fandom even now. And as cheesy as this movie was, it was the West's first real attempt at their own Power Rangers entity.

Honorable Mention 2: Lilo & Stitch(6/21/2002): One of the best Disney movies of the 2000s. And dammit, this is the better sister movie(looking at you, Frozen).

Honorable Mention 3: Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban(6/4/2004): My favorite Harry Potter movie. When the series started getting dark. Plus... Gary Oldman. So... yes. My favorite Potter movie.

10. Jurassic Park(6/11/1993): Michael Crichton's novel come to life. The practical effects are still some of the best I've seen.

9. Man of Steel(6/14/2013): Zack Snyder leaning into Superman being a biblical type being. And Henry Cavill killed this role. He deserves more. He... deserves more.

8. Toy Story 3(6/18/2010): My favorite of the Toy Story movies. A full fledged villain in Lotso... and... a full fledged villain in Andy growing up.

7. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?(6/22/1988): Warner Bros and Disney shaking hands with live action with some Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd. Such a great story disguised as a goofy, silly animated movie meets live action.

6. Spider-Man 2(6/30/2004): Still one of the best Spider-Man movies. Best story structure. Very well done, layered, understandable villain.

5. The Lion King(6/24/1994): Disney Animation's Magnum Opus. You know what this movie is.

4. The Truman Show(6/5/1998): Jim Carrey's showing he doesn't always have to be funny. One his best works.

3. Ghostbusters(6/8/1984): Who you gonna call? The movie that launched a franchise... a phenomena... one that is still beloved today.

2. Batman(6/23/1989): Tim Burton looked at the haters and said "Michael Keaton is perfect as Batman". And now... Michael Keaton has been one of the BEST to ever put on the suit. Influenced the character ever since.

And my number one movie for the month of June...

1. Pixar's Inside Out(6/19/2015): I've said it. This is my favorite movie. It is the BEST depiction if depression I've ever seen, and in a way that kids can understand what the feeling is. The way emotion are personified... I love this movie. And I understand it now more than ever.

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There you go. Not quite back to form. But it works. A bitter sweet month given that it is the birthday month for 3 people I dearly miss(my uncle, my grandmother, and now my mother)... and my own birthday.

Hopefully I still got enough of my heart in it.

Any movie for June that I didn't list that you love? Comment and share this thing!

July post coming post-haste.

Until then...

Don't forget...

The New Review - Elvis

Copyright by Warner Bros

Elvis

Directed by Baz Luhrmann

Starring Austin Butler, Tom Hanks

Concept: Stylized Elvis Presley Biopic. Enough said.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: So, there are really only 2 important cast members in this movie. Austin Butler as Elvis. Tom Hanks as Col Tom Parker. Everyone else is moot. And it was on purpose. It was exactly Elvis's story, it was Parker's. And... it was a weird obsession he had with Elvis. It makes good on the influences Elvis had. So the other characters are important, but not forefront. Tom Hanks was a bit weak compared to what he CAN do, but he made a great villain. And Austin Butler slayed at Elvis, including singing AS Elvis. That was him(for the most part... later in life Elvis had the real thing mixed in with Butler to make him sound older). And everything else that made Elvis the King... Butler deserves at least an Oscar nom. Score: 16/20

Presentation: Let's get this out of the way... Austin Butler was amazing singing as Elvis. Like spectacular. But... the rest of the soundtrack was too modern. TOO modern. And visually... Elvis was an extravagant, flashy individual. So it makes sense for his movie to be... but it felt OVER produced in the first half... and UNDER produced in the second half. Where it needed it, it didn't. Where it didn't need it, it did it anyway. And...... that first half... it almost lost me. It was prevented through the eyes of Tom Parker... and imagine a villain seeing his meal ticket through dollar signs. And... it took me out of that. Score: 10/20

Chronicle: It's the story of Elvis through the eyes of Tom Parker trying to make himself out to not be the villain of the story. Even though it was clear he was the villain of the story. And this twist to it makes the story we know about even more interesting. I learned things I never knew about Parker... that I never knew about Elvis. And... the story had to be engaging, seeing how the mismatched presentation started to lose me. Score: 27/30

Impact: Baz Luhrmann is responsible for writing and directing Moulin Rouge, Australia, Romeo + Juliet, and The Great Gatsby. Out of those 4 movies, I only enjoyed one, and that was Gatsby. And now... add Elvis to that list. But... I still don't think he should've done a biopic. The pieces of the movie(cast and story) were amazing. But it was like watching chess pieces on a flashing LED Chinese Checkers board. This movie helps Luhrmann's portfolio. And I hate that it does. Score: 15/20

Extra Oomph: I'm going back to Austin Butler. Dude... deserves at least an Oscar nom. With the fact that he did his own signing... he was able to encapsulate what made Elvis so special. A one of a kind role... made for a one of a kind piece of Rock and Roll history. No one else could've done this movie. No× one else could've played Elvis in this way. And it redeems the film in a major way. Score: 15/10

Final Score: 83/100

Final Grade: B-

Conclusion: Austin Butler shines. Tom Hanks is creepy. But there are two different halves to this movie. Up to you to determine whether it feels like it is Performance/Presentation or if it was Prime/Pre-Prime.

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 are an Elvis stan, go see this. If you are an Austin Butler or Tom Hanks stan, go see this. If you are neither, I recommend seeing it, but wait for disc or digital. Will I watch it again? Yes. But... only because of how great Austin Butler was as Elvis.

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There you go, Folks. Elvis gets an... 83!!!!

If you've seen it, what did you think?

Did I mention how great Austin Butler was in this?

Until next time...

Don't forget...