Vice on HBO Review

I respect Vice more than any other news outlet; when it comes to politics, pop culture, and society, no organization does as good of a job or is willing to as go as deep. I don't see the head of Fox news meeting face to face with top Taliban members. For those who don't know, Vice started out as a magazine publication in 1994. It was filled with controversy from the first issue. Vice has always been popular but they've blown up during the last couple years with help from the internet, especially YouTube. Their YouTube channel has gained more than 2 million subscribers over the past 2 years. They've become so popular that earlier this year HBO premiered a televised version of Vice. The shows format is very similar to the documentaries online but at a higher quality. Each episode is half an hour long consisting of two different segments. Some of these included political assassinations in the Philippians, China's ghost towns, conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmiris, the Taliban's use of child suicide bombers, China's population having 50 million more men than women, North Korean run aways being sold into sex slavery by the Chinese, and much more. This show is not for the faint of heart, this show is violent. During the first episode they showed clips of suicide bombings, assassinated politicians, and much more. What I remember most is the aftermath of a suicide bombing where they showed a severed head just lying of the street. The closest thing I can compare it to is like watching an uncensored version of Gangland. But if you can stomach the gore, this is quite possibly the best show currently airing on television right now. Currently on episode six, I've learned more about what's going on in the world right now than I have ever learned in school this past year. The show isn't just informative and educational, it is incredibly entertaining. It shows us what many main stream news sourced ignore. While yahoo talks about what Kim Kardashian is wearing and ABC spends ten minutes analyzing the Cowboys game, Vice has reporters on the ground in Mali in the middle of fire fights between the French and insurgents. The HBO show highlights the best of Vice and puts on some of the best documentaries Vice has ever produced. If you haven't heard of Vice, just go watch some of their stuff on YouTube and you’ll be hooked. And even if you have but you haven't watched the HBO series, you're missing out. I'll include a link to every episode from the first series as well as their YouTube channel and website so you can check them out. Vice consistently brings high quality programming in everything they do and is easily my favorite news outlet. And it's great to see that they are being recognized for what they are doing and have been rewarded with their own show, and they really are making the most of it. 

http://www.free-tv-video-online.me/internet/vice/season_1.html
http://www.youtube.com/user/vice?feature=watch

http://www.vice.com/en_us

The Great Gatsby Review

There are a few things I've learned from the film industry over the past few years, most notably if they want to make some quick cash they just make a movie off a classic book...for the fifth time. The Great Gatsby is directed by Baz Luhrmann (most known for his best picture nominated Moulin Rouge!) and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby himself. The Great Gatsby is based off the novel of the same name written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story is told through a third person view by a character named Nick. Nick recently moved out to New York to be a bond salesman, so he rented a little shack in a rich neighborhood and got his future underway. He has a cousin named Daisy who lives not too far from him with her rich cheating husband Tom. When visiting them Nick learns of an eccentric millionaire who lives right next door to him by the name of Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is known for his elaborate parties as well as being extremely mysterious. One day Nick is invited to one of Gatsby's parties, making him the only person to actually be invited. Once there he meets Gatsby, a charismatic young man. Quickly the two become friends, but you can't help but feel that Gatsby is playing an angle. Nick came to New York to make a success out of himself, but instead he gets caught up in a plan years in the making. When I first saw the trailer for this movie I thought it looked great, but the more I thought about it the more I worried. Baz Luhrmann has a unique directing style: it's fast paced, it's flashy, and it's in your face. While it worked for movies like Moulin Rouge!, I was afraid it wouldn't work for this... unfortunately I was right. The Great Gatsby is a story about the characters, about this love that can never be. But Baz made this all about style and ignored the substance. You're supposed to feel something for these characters but you really don't. You root for Gatsby but not because you want to but because you feel like you're supposed to. While this over embellished world worked for the party scenes it subtracted from everything else, also there was way too much green screen. When 70 percent of your movie looks like it was filmed on a green screen and you're not Avatar, you have a problem. Of all the scenes in the movie the ones that looked the best were shot in real rooms with no CGI. One thing that bothered me (this is more of a personal preference) was the amount of modern music used. The soundtrack is great but if you're in a 20's setting and you have like five Jay-Z songs it sounds out of place. On top of that the whole movie was obnoxiously loud. I know it sounds like I hated the movie but I really didn't it's not a bad movie. Leo does a great job playing Gatsby, the movie is true to the book, and Baz's style did work for some of the scenes. While The Great Gatsby didn't live up to my hopes there will be people out there that will really like this movie, but personally I was let down and won't remember this in a couple days (especially since Star Trek: Into Darkness is coming out soon). 

3/5 Stars

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon Review

This game is so over the top, it makes Saints Row the Third look like Shadow of the Colossus. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is a standalone downloadable game based off my pick for best game of 2012, Far Cry 3. The game is only 15 dollars and is available for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. I'd love to tell you what it's about but I'm not even going to lie, I have no f*cking clue. The story is so convoluted and crazy it makes no coherent sense. The game is an open world first person shooter; it takes place many years in the future where apparently everything is neon. It's formatted the same as Far Cry 3 for the most part, there's a main mission and several side quests. As far as missions go the game is much more limited than Far Cry 3, beating all the missions will take 8 hours max. Like Far Cry 3 there are enemy bases all around the map that you need to clear out to take over. The main difference is that in Blood Dragon these bases are significantly larger with many more enemies. That leads me to my biggest problem in the game, it almost discourages stealth. In FC3 I played the game stealthy the entire time, while it was easier to run in guns blazing you were rewarded for playing it stealthy. In Blood Dragon, the bases are so big with so many enemies it felt impossible; on top of that most bases had a heavy soldier which you can’t take out stealthily until level 15. Probably the biggest difference in the game is how you level up. In FC3 you were given a skill tree to pick and choose your skills, in Blood Dragon skills improve automatically as you level up. Also in Blood Dragon you only have a few weapon choices, but they are more customizable. As you can tell by its name a new type of enemy was introduced into the game, the Blood Dragon. Blood Dragons are essentially neon dinosaurs, they are mean and tough as sh*t. The thing that Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon has going for it is that the entire game is a throwback to everything 80's cheese. It's all the action movies and cartoons of the 80's thrown into a game, and it's fantastic. They even give you Robocop’s gun, which is as awesome as it sounds. The biggest complaint that people seem to have with the game is that it's short, which it is. But people need to realize it is a 15 dollar downloadable game, it's not a full price game. You pay 1/4th the price you're going to get 1/4th the play time. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is awesome; it is everything I love about Far Cry 3 with some really cool new game elements. For the price you can't go wrong, and it's become a contender for best downloadable game of the year.     

4.5/5 Stars

Iron Man 3 Review

The long awaited Iron Man 3 has finally arrived, riding the coat tales of the Avengers it looks to get this next generation of Marvel movies out the gate with a bang. Iron Man 3 takes place not long after the events of the Avengers, and one thing that is apparent quickly is that Tony Stark is not the same man. He's suffering from anxiety attacks, he's not getting along with his girl friend, and he can't even sleep. On top of that some terrorist known only as the Mandarin is causing havoc all over the world. He seems to have some sort of new bomb that can cause massive damage without leaving a trace of what it is. After one of Tony's friends is seriously injured in one of these attacks, Tony refuses to take it lying down and openly challenges the Mandarin. So Iron Man sets out to not only stop one of the deadliest terrorists the US government has ever, but keep what is left in his life together in the process. Iron Man 3 changes upon the formula somewhat from the previous two; it is a little darker and they put even more humor in it, which is actually my first problem with it. While many of the lines are funny they are given at odd times. Like Stark will be in the middle of a fight, inches away from death, and he'll crack a one liner. Probably the coolest aspect of the movie are the fight scenes, they're pretty badass. And with the addition of the best visual effect the series has seen makes them a feast for the eyes. While aspects like these are very enjoyable, the movie has some faults. Other than Robert Downey Jr. no one gives an overly good performance. One thing that really seems to have divided people is the direction they took the Mandarin in; people ether hated it or just went along, I hated it. I won't spoil anything but in my opinion it's pretty dumb. For a while I really liked Iron Man 3, but around the hour mark things started to take a turn for the worse. The movie just falls apart during the second half and by the end it's just unsalvageable. There are a couple plot points that are just really stupid and defy the laws of physics (even for a superhero movie). I know it sounds like I hated it but I actually enjoyed Iron Man 3 for what it was, a summer popcorn flick. But I am disappointed, coming off the Avengers I was hoping for more. If you ask me, Iron Man 3 is better than Iron Man 2 but still inferior compared to the original.

3/5 Stars

Mud Review

I've always heard the one thing you never call someone is mud, so I feel conflicted. Mud is the new movie by one of my favorite new directors Jeff Nichols. This will be Nichols third movie, the first being Shotgun Stories (one my top 10 2008), then Take Shelter (my pick for the best movie of 2011), and now Mud. The film is a coming of age movie starring Matthew McConaughey. It follows the stories of two young boys from Arkansas who here rumors about a boat stuck up in some trees on a small island in the Mississippi river. Once out there they discover that someone is living there, they come across a guy camped out on the island known only as Mud. He's been there for a while and says he's waiting to run away with his girlfriend Juniper. The boys soon discover that Mud is a wanted man, so they confront Mud about it. He tells them that he killed Junipers abusive ex- boyfriend, who got her pregnant then pushed her down the stairs which made her lose the baby as well as any chance of having children. Mud recruits the boys to help him fix up the old boat to get out of the state. The only problem is that the family of the man he killed is gunning for him. Now Mud's biggest worry is whether or not he'll make it out alive. Mud feels like something straight out of a Mark Twain novel, when people think of American movies Mud encompasses that better than any movie in recent memory. It has it all: hope, despair, love, heart break, comedy, tragedy, everything. That's what I love about director Jeff Nichols, these are the types of movies he excels that. He puts more emotion in five minutes than most movies have in their entire run time. Nichols captures the American essence, whether it be the well off middle class in Take Shelter or the bottom of the rung back woods rednecks of Shotgun Stories and Mud. There isn't a director alive that does the same style better than him. While the kids in the movie are the ones that get the most screen time, it is McConaughey who steals the show. This is unquestionably the best performance he has ever given; there isn't even a close number two. I would be amazed if he doesn't at least get a best actor nomination. But not to be out done, the kids in the movie perform their parts perfectly. One thing that caught my attention right off the bat was the cinematography, just the way it's shot really shows what this movies about and how these characters live their daily lives. Mud reminds me a lot of A Place Beyond the Pines, there's just something special about it that makes it truly amazing. Jeff Nichols really out did himself with this movie; I would be so bold to say this is his best movie. I know it's early in the year but I really hope this movie gets a couple Oscar nominations. Mud is one of the best movies I've seen in years, and I assure you I will mention it again on my "best of the year" list.  

5/5 Stars