Today’s movie of the day is: Finding Forrester

This is one of the most overlooked movies I have ever seen. It follows the story of a young writer named Jamal who lives in the Bronx, whose test scores set him above his peers in the world of academics. His Basketball skills are highly superior to the other kids too. Thus when a private school takes interest in Jamal, he must question what is more important to him, writing or basketball.

All of this is taking place as Jamal slowly befriends a mysterious writer who lives near a basketball court where Jamal plays street ball with his friends. It is eventually revealed that this writer is in fact William Forrester, a writer who only wrote one book. This book was so influential though, that Forrester just had to say he was working on a second one, and the world would sit by and hold it’s breath. With an original reluctance, Forrester takes Jamal under his wing during Jamal’s spare time, helping him with his writing and developing his skills as he grows from a troubled teen into a responsible adult.

This movie thrives on character interact between Jamal and Forrester. While they both develop independently, Jamal at a new school and Forrester with learning how to accept life, when the two character’s are on screen together you get an awkward sense of mutual understanding.

These are the kind of films I want to make. This film inspires me to be a better human being every time I watch, and that with determination and a level head, I can over come even the simplest of obstacles without a hitch.

Today’s movie of the day is: The Emperor’s New Groove

John Goodman is awesome. David Spade is awesome. Thus this movie defaults to double awesome.

The story follows a meso-American king as he comes to terms with his ego via a transformation into a llama. I know it sounds weird, but it works. The movie quickly turns into a buddy movie following Emperor Kuzko and Farmer Pacha on a journey back to the castle to reverse the spell that turned Kuzko into a llama in the first place.

I would safely call this the last good 2D Animated film. The chemistry of Goodman and Spade is spot on, although it will never come close to Spade and Farley. The laughs are consistent and you can tell the actor’s enjoyed their work, especially Goodman.

The point blank humor of this film is what sells you though. The script is damn near perfect, delivering laugh after laugh, even if you have seen the film multiple times. There are references that you will miss, that will send you rolling on the floor, even through multiple viewings.

All in all, highly recommended.

Today’s movie of the day is: The 6th Day

Arnold Arnold Arnold… what would we do without you? We would be without classics like Kindergarten Cop, Twins, Junior. Okay so maybe we could do without Junior. But still! Terminator! Mr. Freeze! The guy from Jingle All the Way!

The 6th Day is one of Arnold’s lesser known movies, which is a little sad considering how good it is. The premise is a simple one that might actually be an issue in a few years: Cloning humans is illegal. But through a series of unfortunate events, Arnold is cloned. With his family taken hostage he must team up with well… himself, to bring down the evil corporation who cloned him in the first place.

Throughout these adventures we are given a very interesting view of the future. Automatic cars, laser razors for shaving, talking intelligent dolls, ordering food from a touch panel on your refrigerator, virtual whores, and the XFL! This all is taking place while Arnold does some soul searching about his humanity.

The charm of this movie is the pacing. It moves fast enough to keep you entertained and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. Don’t expect too much depth, but throw in a bag of popcorn, kick back relax, and watch Arnold be Arnold.

Today’s movie of the day is: The Truman Show

The thing most people don’t understand is this isn’t supposed to be a comedy movie featuring Jim Carrey. It is suppose to be a movie featuring Jim Carrey, which is a big difference, given his hits before The Truman Show such as Dumb and Dumber and The Mask. Many say it was Jim Carrey’s first step into a serious role, although the movie was marketed as a comedy.

While any movie goer can tell you there are parts in just about every movie that should make anyone laugh, be it a dumb line or just a well placed gag, this movie has heart in it, forcing laughs to the back burner. The film follows the life of Truman Burbank, perhaps a little too closely. Truman was adopted at birth, and placed into the fictional city of Seahaven to be recorded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a TV Show. Everyone else in town is just a simple actor, while Truman believes it is all reality.

Truman grows past his thoughts of reality and seeks freedom from Seahaven, with the simple desire to visit Mount Fiji. This is where the movie starts getting interesting, as you see Truman’s past through a series of flashbacks, allowing you to empathize with the character being trapped by a greedy corporate producer.

Ed Harris gives a great performance as the TV Producer Christof, while Paul Giamatti commands the screen in the most simplest of roles, really showing the depth of the actor. All in all I recommend the film to just about anyone who is looking to kill a few hours, but if you decide to miss it, not all is lost. It’s charm is present, and leaves a lasting impression, but it isn’t anything to write home about.

So I have been kicking around the idea of getting my first, but definitely not last, tattoo. I got a couple of ideas thus far. Here was what I was thinking.

1- Portal

This one seems a little self explanatory. I was thinking get one on the shoulder, and the other one on the ankle, just to convey the theme correctly. I want this one because of just how well Portal was done. This was something that was done so well that it took most people by surprise, with a showcase of great humor, whitty puzzles and something that could be interpreted with varying amounts of depth. Much like human beings…

2- Power up!

This one is also a two part-er. I was thinking getting the 1up Mario Mushroom on my left wrist, and the Poison Mushroom on my right wrist. Or vice versa. I like this idea because it represents polar opposites, a key to life. Balance is something that I see everyday, be it the ratio of food to drink, or in the way the world works. Good VS Evil. Light VS Dark. These are ideals which everyone can relate to.

3- Wisdom, Power, Courage

The Triforce is a symbol of completeness. Wisdom is something one must obtain, as is power and courage. These themes transcend gaming more than people think, often used as characteristics used to describe people. The idea behind this is I would get the tattoo, but only merely the outline. I would fill in each corresponding section when I feel that I have obtained each virtue in life. An example of this would be I would fill in Courage after proposing to an eventual spouse. This tattoo would probably be located on my left forearm.

There are many more ideas I have for tattoo’s, but I believe this is a good starting point.

In today’s day and age there are many things one can do to express themselves. You can write, you can draw, you can post videos, you can do anything. But the biggest problem with the world these days is getting noticed. In the world of the internet there are millions upon millions of pages on the Internet. How does one gain acceptance in this brave new world?

Look at Xbox Live. I know not everyone plays video games, but to quote a famous movie: “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.” This is where the inherent flaw of the internet thrives. What is that flaw? The fact that there is no regulation. Most people think it isn’t that big of a deal, however it allows for the unknown to grow.

Ethics play a big part of your online identity. The first key to this is to accept the fact that you are going to piss at least one person off. If you are not comfortable with that, stay away from user-driven sites. The internet is a global community. Just because what you say might not offend people living in your country, someone in a different country can stumble across your thoughts. This allows for a total peer analysis, regardless of if you want it or not. Be prepared to taste your own blood.

So I have been playing World of Warcraft for about 3 years now. The game is by no means perfect, but it is defiantly part of my lifestyle. Here are some things that could use some upgrades in the game, some slight tweeks, or just an all out overhaul.

10: Power Scale
You just reached level 70 and you are feeling really good about yourself. You have braved the Cavern’s of Time, defeated the ancient elemental Murmur and are ready to try some of the Tempest Keep instances. A quick trip to Shadowmoon Valley nets you a flying mount. Sweet, flying! You jump into the instance, ready for a new experience. Fingers tremble over hotkeys, allowing your lightning fast reflexes to take over at the drop of a hat… Here it comes… get ready… the Tank pulls…

And you cast Fireball. Sure, now epic and powerful, drawing magical energies from various augmentations on your items and using a couple of additional boosts from your talents, but isn’t it still the same spell you have been relying on since level 1?

One problem with the World of Warcraft is the lack of advancement in both spell/skill progression and power level. Shadowbolt is very helpful when used in combination with other spells, but then why do mobs get the ability to split their Shadowbolts to hit multiple targets? As an all powerful Warlock I should be able to apply that minor augmentation to a spell that I have been using for as long as I can remember, albeit at a small cost to overall damage for a small percentage of more mana.

While the need to create a community and encourage raiding is flourishing lets take a step ‘backwards’. Where is my character’s defining moment? Destroying Illidan sounds epic. Comparatively, destroying Illidan with 24 other people sounds less than stellar. Arthas and Illidan once fought at the foot of the Frozen Throne, Thrall and Grom squared off against Maanoroth, Rexxar proudly fought for the Horde against the Kil’Tiras Marines, Gul’dan died a stones throw away from that what he seeked most. What has your character done that cements him in the history of Azeroth? Sure you have experienced all of the scum and despair that Azeroth and the Outlands have to offer, but have they experienced you?

9: World Events
World events are awesome. Ask anyone who played before Burning Crusade. Now the game has changed completely. The last world event that united both the Horde and the Alliance in a common goal was the opening of the Dark Portal. 4 major content patches later we are still doing the same stuff. No resource pooling to open the gates to Ahn’Qiraj, no ominous Ziggarauts hovering too close to capital cities. Nothing. It makes the game kinda boring at times. Opening the Sunwell is kinda fun, but it is still just a grind of more dailies. Let us do something new.

Have something unknown threaten Azeroth, and have a timed world event to escort all of the Faction Leaders to a Neutral city like Shattrath to discuss strategy. I am not talking about no 15 minute escort either, I am imagining an escort that takes days. I could see a full entourage of the Horde guarding Thrall, but then in the world defense channel you notice that Slyvannis is under attack. You get a quick port to Undercity, hop on a Bat to rendezvous with more players at Tarren Mill. Thrall and Cairne finally meet up at Camp Turajo, and prepare for the journey to Ratchet. All the while the Alliance is working Jaina up to Ratchet as well, while Magni Bronzebeard and Wyrnn make their way to the Dark Portal. Velen and Tyrande march though Barrens, arriving at Ratchet, only to be jumped upon exiting Booty Bay. Once all the leaders make it to Shattrath, an all out invasion takes place. The Shattered Sun, Aldor and Scyer’s all take up arms to defend Shattrath, but players are forced to rush to the portals to each city to defend their homelands with honor, or else the capital cities will be changed forever.

Where is that shit?

8: PvP VS PvE Gear Distribution and Scale

Give PvE gear resilience and more non-PvP bonuses to PvP gear (spell damage, attack power, critical change, etc). Then make it so even the best PvP gear is outdone by the best PvE gear, but not by much. I am not trying to say PvP is easy, it is anything but by any stretch of the imagination, but PvE takes more of an investment, thus the rewards should be greater. I personally believe Season 3 should be equivalent to Tier 5 armor, not Tier 6. Tier 6 should be the epitome of your class, regardless of your character’s focus.

7: Endgame is the Death of the Single Player Experience

When I went to BlizzCon 2007, Blizzard shared an interesting design philosophy at the Starcraft 2 Single-player panel. They say they want Starcraft 2’s storyline to be a football experience, in which all player’s experience the same beginning and the same ending, yet everything in between is decided upon the will of the player itself. I wish this was the case with World of Warcraft at times.

Upon starting the game, you are tasked with questing to progress from one quest hub to another, but the further out you venture, the more complex the world gets. You are slowly introduced to flight paths, professions, and battlegrounds. This is not counting your advancement as a character, with the decision to level via questing or instancing, how you spend your talent points, and what gear you pick up. There are thousands of things to do, before you hit what has been dubbed ‘end-game’.

At level 70 choice is nothing but an illusion of binary code. You either PvP or PvE, and to a lesser extent, you either Battleground or play Arena, or you either Raid or instance (heroic or not). The only problem is, without a significant amount of investment, you cut yourself off from everything else. You may be able to down Keal’thas, but you will get absolutely shredded if you enter the arena in that gear. You are thus forced to go back to square one. Regression shouldn’t be encouraged in the slightest.

The biggest problem I have is the fact that upon reaching level 70, regardless of which path you decide to go down, is that you are dependent on other people. Sure you can enter the battleground solo, but you get thrown into a random pre-made and you might as well go punch out God. Dailies are cool for getting gold, but they just become part of daily habit. I can do dailies without thinking about them, without being challenged.

Bottom line: There is no solo game at 70.

6: There was World of Warcraft before Burning Crusade

Blizzard completely ignores everything before Burning Crusade. They have patched things to make it easier to level, but that is just so people can get to Outland, as that is where experience becomes harder to earn. But why should we skip all the Azeroth content? Blizzard wants people experiencing endgame raiding and what not, but most people haven’t even set foot into Molten Core or Naxxramas. Naxxramas is the perfection of the 40-man raid and only a small percentage are not even attuned for the raid, let alone attempting it.

On most servers Karazhan is being used as a pick-up group now, but no one even thinks to run anything before then. Not to mention things like Stratholme or Scholomance. Everything designed for level 60 is getting overlooked these days. Give us incentive to experience all of the game Blizzard, not just the ‘new’ stuff. Why do new server’s not have to open Ahn’Qiraj?

5: PURPLE!

I remember way back when, before 70 was the level cap, when a couple things were different. Some have been changed for the better, like linked auction houses and guild banks, and other things have changed for the worse. Now a days everyone is wearing a purple item. EVERYONE. I remember when a purple was a sense of accomplishment and bragging rights, not the gold standard. I understand everyone likes to advance, but it seems to me advancement is taking a nose dive in difficulty. Would it be that horrible to make it so purples are actually rare?

One way Blizzard could fix this is completely keep it the way it is, an introduce a healthy amount of Legendary quality items. As long as there isn’t a giant influx of Legendary items, it should be kept somewhat balanced. It may have to do with the fact we are nearing the drop of point for Burning Crusade, so Blizzard wants to get as many people as they can to experience all of the expansion before they release Wrath of the Lich King.

4: Two Profession Cap

Looking forward to Wrath of the Lich King, I think the primary profession cap needs to be increased to three, while still being able to get all 3 of the secondary professions. However I think it doesn’t need to be just increased, but also modified, albeit slightly.

My thought is that each person can have 3 professions, but only one of each type of profession. Here is what I had in mind for the potential Profession ‘classes’:

Gathering: Herbalism, Skinning, Mining
Augmentation: Enchanting, Inscription, Alchemy, Jewelcrafting
Crafting: Tailoring, Blacksmithing, Engineering, Leatherworking

Not only will this allow you to be more focused in your profession, but it will allow for some synergy between some of the professions, Inscribed Skinned leathers can be used to make very specific Leatherworking armor. Enchanted Ore could be used to forge a killer weapon. You know stuff like that.

The only problem I could see with that is with everyone taking Tailoring, due to the fact that it doesn’t have a skill synergy built in with it right now. (Herbalism = Alchemy, Mining = Engineering, etc.) Although after you get to skill level 300 it becomes tough to advance without Enchanting.

3: Crafting Craziness

I shudder to think of what skill 450 Epic Patterns require for materials. Blizzard got profession advancement right, until you get around skill 325, at which point it becomes utterly ridiculous. You either have to buy your Materials off the auction house, or just come to terms with the fact that it is going to take you near a month to make it all yourself due to cool downs. That is of course not counting farming the materials for each individual piece.

I do understand that your profession should get more complicated the further along it is, but there are other ways to do it. As a Tailor, I like the idea of Shadowcloth, Spellcloth and Primal Mooncloth. I hate the fact they are on cool down. Why not just increase the required amount of Shadowcloth, make it so you only create one piece as apposed to two, and increase the amount of materials required to make the cloth itself. That way it feels like you are doing a lot of work, but it doesn’t take forever and a day.

2: Price

$14.99 a month works, but $9.99 would work too. 9.99 x 10 million = 99.9 million a month. I think that is more than enough to continue work on WoW.

1: The Alliance

I don’t think this one needs justification. For the Horde!

NOTE: The below is not targeted at any one specific individual and represent my experiences. 

Dear Women,

Why the hell can’t I figure you out? Everything I do either insults you or gets thrown by the wayside. I grab your drink to fill it up for you so you don’t have to, what I believe is polite, and then ask if you want Diet Coke. You then yell at me because you think that I think that you are fat, which in reality, I just asked if you wanted that because that is typically what you drink. Sorry for being observational and considerate, I will never do it again.

The above is just one of many double standards enforced by most women. We can’t have other female friends because then they think we are cheating, but if they have a guy friend we are supposed to be okay with it. This presents a small myriad of problems, that in turn snowball into bigger problems, thus becoming an issue, that quite frankly shouldn’t exists. Not to mention the whole: He isn’t with me at this very instant, he could be cheating on me. Next time you think that, call him, but don’t be sorry when you wake him up or something.

Most importantly though, I fucking hate the friend zone. Let me explain this to you. It is when you are nice to a girl and get shit in return. The catch though is that you still are willing to do pretty much anything for that girl. However she is typically stupid and goes for the asshole whom she is obsessed with due to some ‘desired’ physical feature. And then they bitch to you about how they are treated like shit and expect you to sympathize with them, which you do, even though you have told them countless times that they shouldn’t just keep setting themselves up for it. This is the part in the conversation where you hope, just hope, that she picks you over him, even though it never happens. Thus the cycle infinitely repeats itself, as you are who she goes to when she has problems, but never who she wants to hang out with and have something more with.

I have been in this state with multiple women since about the 7th grade. Do I want this to change? Hell yes I do. But it never will because I hate being a dick to people, women I am interested in included. I hate being mean, I really do. This however causes me to be put into an endless cycle of 2nd place. No one ever remember who got second place, but everyone remembers who the hell beat them out.

I guess the thing I am scared of the most would have to be that I am always going to end up in failed relationships. I really want things to work with each and every relationship I have ever been in, save one I had in High School (<– Regret). As far as I am concerned you should be committed 100% to a relationship. All or nothing, balls to the walls committed. Yes you are going to have to make sacrifices, yes you are going to have to weather the storm at times, yes you are going to fight. That doesn’t mean give up though. The one balance of this though? The relationship has to be mutual.

Ultimately what defines a relationship is the fact that two people have their own separate lives and seek to have someone else of importance included in them. The important thing is that a relationship is built on growth as a person. Both people have to do this in order for a relationship to succeed. The only flaw in this is society. In a world where one-night stands are considered acceptable it is hard to find someone to be with for more than a couple hours a week to get your jollies off with. Sex is fun don’t get me wrong, it is just not a determining factor for some, myself included.

These are just some thoughts.

<3 RMH

Why is it that only Xbox 360 games allow you to accumulate a gamerscore? Isn’t a gamerscore supposed to encompass all games, regardless of platform? While I may not be in charge of the gaming world as a whole, here are some ideas on the first 1000 possible achievement points for one of the most popular games made, World of Warcraft. Now before I get flammed for my ideas, this achievement list represents all content from 1.0-2.0 and follows the rules of all games with achievements. It has 36 achievements across 1000 points. I do plan on doing Burning Crusade, which will have 250 gamerscore points.

Today, BioWare announced that the first Mass Effect DLC will be hitting on March 10th. DLC should last about 90 minutes for 400 MSP and add one new achievement worth 50 points. Read the jump for the offical info.

LINK: Mass Effect Fourms

FROM THE OFFICAL POST: 

To date, over 1.6 million gamers have explored the engaging sci-fi universe of Mass Effect. Beginning on March 10, fans everywhere will be able to expand the “Mass Effect” experience with the release of the first ever downloadable content for the award-winning saga.

The Bring Down the Sky downloadable content pack will be released to Xbox LIVE Marketplace on Monday, March 10 at 2 a.m. PST, and will be available for 400 MS points. This is the first in a series of planned downloadable content that further expands the Mass Effect universe and continues the adventures of Commander Shepard and the Normandy crew.

Bring Down the Sky includes a new uncharted world that introduces the notorious and feared alien race of the Batarians. A Batarian extremist group has hijacked a mobile asteroid station in the Asgard system, setting it on a collision course with the nearby colony world of Terra Nova. Only Commander Shepard can save the millions of innocent civilians before the asteroid completes its deadly descent.

Bring Down the Sky contains approximately 90 minutes of heart-pounding action and a new Achievement worth 50 Gamerscore points.

Mass Effect is exclusively available on Xbox 360 and is rated M for Mature by the ESRB.