Madden NFL 11--Part 1

On a positive note, this is one of the best-looking Madden games to date. I was able to take advantage of our sagging economy and get this game on sale @ $10.00 off retail price for the Xbox 360—something that EA Sports and retailers aren’t known to do under any circumstances.

Let's Go To The Video Tape

I haven’t owned or played a Madden game since I had a Playstation 2 five years ago—back when the “vision cone” was introduced. This feature in effect turned the quarterback’s eyes into a giant flashlight or search beacon that radiated over the field, supposedly simulating his field of vision. The better the quarterback, the wider his “vision cone”. (I’m told at the time, Michael Vick had a vision cone the size of a toothpick). While some applauded this innovation, to me, this was one of the most ridiculous features ever put in a sports game. It took away any realism the game might have offered.

The "vision cone" in action.

That being said, I’m disappointed that after five years of being away from Madden, there have been no fundamental changes to the game. Except for a shiny new coat of paint, a “hit stick” and some new animations, the game plays the same as it did five years ago. We’ll get to GameFlow in part two of my blog.

Madden is desperate for competition. It was a tragic day when the NFL awarded EA Sports the exclusive license to the NFL. That meant that no other video game company could produce an NFL game using NFL teams, logos or players. The competition was totally eliminated with the stroke of pen. 

G.O.A.T

Madden had some great competition too. ESPN NFL 2K5 by 2K Sports was arguably the best video football game ever made. 2K Sports did all it could to steal way EA’s market share by pricing their game at $19.99. But rather than compete and make a better Madden, they made NFL 2K go away. Now year after year, gamers get the same game with new rosters, a few bug fixes and a new coat of paint.

Even the graphics in ESPN NFL 2K5 still stand up to the current version of Madden after all these years. 

Above ESPN NFL 2K5. Below Madden NFL 11. 

 

I can only imagine how outstanding and innovative both games would be right now if the NFL had not signed that agreement. The NBA is a different story. Commissioner David Stern was too shrewd to sign an exclusivity agreement with EA Sports. Last year, EA decided to buy 2K Sports and finally get rid of that thorn in their side. It seems to be a pattern with this gaming giant not to make better games, but to eliminate any and all competition. Then continue to feed the masses the same mediocre game every year with little or no improvement. Fortunately, after several attempts, the buyout failed.

Stay tuned for Part Two as I look at GameFlow in depth and I give my final verdict on whether or not you should buy Madden NFL 11. 

Repo Men

This film has got to be the sci-fi sleeper of the year. When I first saw the trailers for Repo Men, I wasn’t too interested in seeing it. I can't recall why, but it just didn’t catch my attention. After it was recently recommended to me, and I actually sat down and watched it, I have to say this is one of the better movies I’ve ever seen. Not only did I watch it once, I had to go back and watch again after being totally thrown for a loop by the twist at the end.

The film is set in the not too distant future 2025 to be exact. The narrative at the beginning talks about the collapsing economy and is a haunting reminder of our current economic crisis. If you’re looking to escape from the worries of financial doom and gloom, this isn’t the film. It also tends to be quite graphic and gory. This definitely is not a film for younger kids.

When I first started watching the film, I kept comparing it to Logan’s Run. There, people did not want to die or participate in “Carousel” to supposedly prolong their lives past the age of 30. They “ran” to be free of the system to live out their natural lives. In Repo Men artificial organs (“artiforgs”) seem to be the “Carousel” of that time period allowing them to live out a longer life. But due to economic conditions that hope is false and temporary. More than likely they will end up not being able to pay for the organs. After three months of non-payment “The Union” sends the Repo Man, who forcibly repossesses the organs, which usually results in the customer’s “termination”. The Repo Men are not unlike the Sandmen in Logan’s Run. Chasing down “debtors” or “runners” and ending their lives. It’s similar even to the point that partners and best friends are turned against one another by “the system” as their buddy “runs” for their life. Both films have cool guns that set them apart from the norm. That is where the similarities end.

The film stars Jude Law as Remy and Forest Whitaker as Jake. Whitaker is one of those actors that totally immerses himself in whatever character he plays. He makes them come alive and appear as though they could exist in real life. He can actually make a mediocre film (Vantage Point) bearable when he's on screen. The thing I find so amazing about this movie is that it isn’t predictable. I was in no way bored and couldn't speculate on how the story was going to end. Several key clues are literally thrown smack in your face and I didn’t realize them for what they were.

Cinematically speaking there is an incredibly vivid scene where Remy and Beth (Alice Braga) enter a totally white clean room where the “artiforgs” are created. The room is huge and houses rows and rows of workers all dressed in white bio-hazard suits. Remy and Beth are dressed in black. The contrast is astounding as armed guards also dressed in black enter the room. It’s like an invasion of a virulent disease into otherwise healthy tissue.

I think one of the key questions in this movie is the one that Remy asks, referring to the cat in the box experiment, which is detailed in the opening of the film: "How can anything be alive and dead at the same time?" You’ll get your answer.

There is only one quirky scene in the film that I take exception with. It is a beautifully choreographed sequence, but I am forced to ask two questions:

1. Why bring a knife to knife fight when you have gun?

2. Why not pick up another gun when your gun runs out of ammo and the hallway is littered with guns from fallen guards?

But aside from that, Repo Men is a fantastic movie that I highly recommend. For its unpredictability; for totally throwing me off guard even with obvious clues right in my face, and for innovation that sets this film apart from others, I must give this movie 5 out of 5 fingers.

The Losers

The Losers is an explosive film filled with explosions (of course), hand-to-hand combat, gun battles, espionage and humor.  It’s based on the comic book from DC’s Vertigo Comics, of which I was completely unaware, until I saw the opening credits.  I must confess that I haven’t read the comic book so my commentary is solely based on the film alone.  I seem to be on a roll watching movies based on comic books (unintentionally).  It stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan (the Winchester brother’s Dad from Supernatural) as Clay. He’s in charge of an elite Special Forces military group who become fugitives after one of their Ops in Bolivia goes horribly wrong--resulting in the deaths of 25 children.

The Special Forces team is of comprised of a group of men with various military specialties and also features Chris Evans (Push, Fantastic Four) as Jensen, Idris Elba (The Wire, Daddy’s Little Girls) as Roque, Columbus Short (Armored, Stomp The Yard) as Pooch/”Legless” Pooch, and Oscar Jaenada as Cougar.  Zoe Saldana (Star Trek) also stars as the smoking-hot, and mysterious Aisha who agrees to bank roll their operations if they agree to kill Max (Jason Patric) the evil genius responsible for their exile.  

As far as villains go, Max is an affable yet eccentric character who wears one glove over a disfigured left hand.  He has a penchant for killing; which he demonstrates when he shoots his female assistant in the head for merely letting an umbrella, she was holding to shield him from the sun, get away from her for the briefest of seconds. 

Clay has a weakness for bad women.  Case in point: how many guys do you know can pick up a girl at a bar, take her back to his hotel and end up having the hotel burned to the ground? 

I told myself I was not under any circumstances going to watch the A-Team movie that was also released this year.  The TV series was a classic, and it pains me to see different actors mimicking the original actors that played the characters. Remakes of classic popular TV shows are rarely about actors interpreting who the characters (like Hannibal, BA, or Face) really are and making them come alive or putting a fresh spin on them through the actor’s own talents. It’s usually about how good an impression of George Peppard, Mr. T, or Dirk Benedict the actor can do.  That aside, The Losers is so reminiscent of the A-Team that I’m going to have to watch it just to compare the two.  So stay tuned for a future blog. 

**SPOILER ALERT**  If you’ve read any of my earlier blogs, you’ll know the answer to this question: why is this black man in the film?

Although The Losers is decent and the characters are very likeable, it is typical to the action-adventure genre and doesn’t do much to set itself apart from any other movie.  But it’s certainly enjoyable and shouldn’t be overlooked as a DVD rental.  For the film’s strict adherence to the action-adventure formula and lack of innovative twists, I’d give it 3 fingers out of 5.

Batman: Under the Red Hood

This is one of the best animated movies from DC Comics that has come along in quite a while.  It’s straight to DVD so you won’t see it at the theatre. It’s dark, gritty, action-packed and really aimed at a more mature audience.  It takes place in the time-line where the original Robin has grown up and left the “nest” to become a crime-fighter called Nightwing.  This movie treats us to a brief reunion of Batman and the original Robin/Nightwing. If you don’t know the Batman mythos after Robin left, Batman later took in a wayward boy named Jason Todd, and trained him to become the next Robin.   And if you followed the comic books, you know that partnership ended with finality thanks to the Joker. 

The wonderful thing about animated movies is they stay true to the source material and don’t add those “creative” (and I use that word loosely) Hollywood-isms that more often than not, ruin the story.   For me watching Batman: Under The Red Hood was like taking a trip down memory lane.  The movie freely used code names such as Nightwing and Amazo.  We are even witness to the restorative abilities of the “Lazarus Pit”.  I’m sorry, I’m just a sucker for code names, and it really bothers me when they’re ignored or used in awkward ways—usually as the punch line of a joke in live-action movies. 

The voice acting was superb.  Casting Jensen Ackles from Supernatural as The Red Hood was brilliant. He’s got the whole angst-ridden self-righteous routine down pat.  I’m sure he was channeling the character of Dean Winchester he plays on Supernatural all the while.  Batman nemesis Ra's al Ghul (Jason Isaacs) is also in the movie along with his daughter Talia who makes the briefest of cameo appearances.  A departure from the normal actors that usually fill these roles, Bruce Greenwood did an excellent job of voice-acting as The Batman and John Di Maggio was the voice of the Joker. 

With all due respect to the late Heath Ledger who portrayed the Joker in the last Batman live-action movie (Batman: The Dark Knight), the Joker in this movie was way better.  Somehow the Hollywood version  missed the boat completely and gave us a Joker that was just sick and twisted without any of the comedy the Joker is known for.  They tried, but most attempts didn’t come off as funny.  The Joker in this animated version was spot on.  Yes, he was sick and twisted, but he was funny.  He cracked jokes and made the most inappropriate quips. He made me laugh, although uncomfortably at times.  He also murdered half a dozen people and joked about it. This is who the Joker is supposed to be.  And that haunting laugh was icing on the cake.

The arch villain (and there are quite a few) is the Red Hood. He becomes the next crime lord of Gotham City and Batman’s most ruthless enemy.  He kills without hesitation. The Red Hood can counter all of Batman’s abilities and tricks making him the toughest adversary Batman has ever faced. I’m not going to reveal who is under the Red Hood, but I have to confess that I figured it out before Batman, and he’s supposed to be the world’s greatest detective.  Obvious clues aside, I definitely recommend you watch this DVD and see if you can figure out who is under the Red Hood. Because it is so faithful to the comic book and filled with so much action, I have to give it 5 out of 5 fingers.

Exclusive Report--iPhone 4 Antenna Cover-Up Exposed

Well, I finally bit the bullet over the weekend and upgraded my iPhone 3Gs to iOS 4.2 and in doing so discovered an insidious cover-up by Apple Inc.

Apple was handed a major setback when Consumer Reports announced that it can’t recommend iPhone 4 due to its widely publicized reception problems. Users discovered that the reception problems were caused by a defective outer antenna design that wraps around the edge of the iPhone 4. When making contact with the antenna with your hand (as you normally would when making a call) reception degrades and calls drop.  Apple refused to acknowledge that the antenna was to blame.

Apple came back with a claim that reception issues were caused by false signal strength being reported on iPhones.  According to them, the algorithm that calculates cell phone signal strength is incorrect, falsely showing two more bars of signal than what is actually being received. So Apple altered the algorithm in a software update so that iPhones would now report "true" signal strength.

 
Consumer Reports questioned Apple’s claim that the problem is due to incorrect display of signal strength. They doubted the problem could be fixed with an iPhone software update. It added that "AT&T Inc, the exclusive mobile phone carrier for the iPhone 4, and whose network is often blamed for reception problems, was not necessarily the main culprit".

Ok, so after my upgrade to iOS 4.2, I can confirm what Consumer Reports is saying is true.  My iPhone 3Gs is now showing three bars of signal strength, two bars less than I normally get at home.  I find it curious that I’ve been with AT&T since they were called Bellsouth Mobility and then later Cingular, that I’ve always gotten five bars at home. Even with a variety of different cell phones by manufacturers including Motorola, Sony-Ericsson and Samsung.  Were the algorithms wrong on all those phones as well? Have I been going through life deceived into thinking I had five bars when all this time I only had three?
 
Apple is covering up the fact the iPhone 4 antenna design is just plain defective by making it seem like the phone isn’t getting full signal strength, and simulating weak signal reception with a software update.

 “They need to provide an actual fix — not a bumper fix — so that the product performs as it should,” said Ashok Kumar at Rodman & Renshaw. “Apple should have taken a higher road when addressing the design flaw, instead of taking the hard-line stance that they did.”

Apple has never admitted that the antenna design of the iPhone 4 is flawed. The company adamantly told users they are holding the phone wrong and agreed to give free cases to users to fix the issue. I don't know about you, but I don't like being told that I don't know how to hold a cell phone.

In this day and age it should come as no surprise that Apple has been sued by iPhone customers in at least three complaints related to antenna problems.

Apple has also not helped itself by deleting threads in its discussion forums pointing to the Consumer Reports article.

And finally to add insult to injury:  Mark Papermaster, the executive responsible for the innovative and problematic antenna design on the iPhone 4 "resigned".

But was Papermaster's hasty exit related to the antenna woes of iPhone 4?  Tell me if you've heard this before: “actions speak louder than words.” 

Some top public relations experts, believe that "Apple will be forced to do a recall of this product."

What do you think? I’d love to hear your comments.

Kick-Ass

I remember Roger Ebert categorizing this movie as “morally reprehensible” and gave it one star. The idea of a costumed 11-year old girl killing and maiming bad guys made him fearful of the possible psychological damage it could cause children under 10 who watched this movie. But for me this was a fun movie; uncomfortably hilarious in some spots, and just plain funny in others, like a black comedy that couldn’t possibly be taken seriously. It’s every comic book geek’s dream to don a mask and tights and pretend to be a superhero. But what would happen in the real world if an ordinary person with no special abilities became a superhero? The film is based on the comic book by the same name, which I must confess, I’ve never read.

The main character Dave (Aaron Johnson) is the epitome of a geeky comic book collecting teen. He asks the question at the beginning of the movie why don’t people dress up as superheroes and fight crime? And he has a good point. With the popularity of comics you’d think there would be a (mentally unbalanced) person or two that would put on a mask and cape and come up with some gadgets and weapons to give them the upper-hand over criminals.

Before too much longer we find Dave dressed in a mail-order scuba suit and cowl, work gloves, Timberland boots and carrying 2 batons ready to fight crime. Facing down two delinquents who fleeced him for lunch money at school, the newly christened Kick-Ass not only get’s his ass kicked, but stabbed and hit by a car.

After a long and arduous recovery in the hospital we learn that Dave’s bones have been reinforced with metal plates and he’s had damage to his nerve endings which makes him insensate to pain. A new improved Kick-Ass takes to the streets looking for a lost cat named Mr. Bitey (I’m sorry, but who names their cat Mr. Bitey?) but instead, sort of by accident, saves a man who is being chased by 3 gang-bangers.

Except as comic relief, Kick-Ass is actually the least interesting character in the film. With no powers or fighting skills he’s down right boring and pathetic. His alter-ego Dave, with the angst he goes through, with his friends and father, is much more interesting and funny than his costumed persona.

Fortunately the characters that really make this move shine are Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and the “morally reprehensible” Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz). A father-daughter crime-fighting duo. If you could imagine what the 1960s Batman and Robin would be like in these modern day troubled times, I think they would resemble these ruthless and deadly characters. Nicholas Cage shows off some acting skills as he does an Adam West impersonation in the guise of Big Daddy. The costumes also pay homage to Batman and Robin with Big Daddy’s cowl, color scheme and utility belt, and the mask that Hit Girl wears looks like a replica of Robin’s. The similarities end there. These two are the most efficient costumed assassins since the Punisher.

If you’re looking for a fun and exciting movie that will make you laugh, albeit uncomfortably in some spots, I definitely recommend Kick-Ass. This is a film that shouldn’t be taken seriously and in fairness to Roger Ebert, shouldn’t be seen by kids under the age of 10. Out of 5 fingers I give it a 3.5.

The Book Of Eli

“If you’ve seen one post-apocalyptic movie you’ve seen them all,” I would always say. Not so with The Book of Eli. With the washed out colors and bleak, dusty and barren cinematography, this film looks like other post-apocalyptic films, but carries with it a spiritual message which is subtle yet extremely powerful and profound. The film doesn’t go into any detail on what caused the apocalypse. All we’re told is that there was some kind of “flash” that destroyed life on Earth as we know it. Only those that were able to hide under ground or in other types of reinforced shelters survived.

The story centers around Eli (Denzel Washington) and his journey to carry a book across the remains of the United States on foot. He’s been traveling for 30 years presumably from the east coast to the west coast to fulfill his destiny. I don’t know about you, but 30 years seems like an extremely long time to travel across the United States, even on foot, but as we find out in the end, those 30 years are what prepared him for his ultimate purpose.

Eli is an uncanny fighter and survivalist putting his skills to use as he faces marauders and unsavory characters along the way. He is a master with any weapon, whether a bow and arrow or gun, with unerring aim. The film has some incredible fight scenes which I heard Denzel performed himself. They often end with heads and limbs being lopped off with a machete.

It’s strange that in a world where food, water and shelter are so scarce, that the one thing that’s not in short supply is sunglasses. Almost everyone has a pair. I’m sure it’s a testament to the living conditions, the “flash” depleting the ozone layer and people living under unrelenting solar radiation, but it just looks weird seeing everybody sporting sunglasses when they don’t even know where their next meal is coming from.

During the course of his mission Eli comes across a small town out west and meets his adversary Carnegie (Gary Oldman) a mob boss of sorts who finds out that the book Eli is carrying is the Bible. It is the very book he has sought for years. In spiritual terms there are no such things as “coincidences”, even though this is a little bit too convenient. It is Carnegie’s belief that the Bible can be used to control people and the words contained therein will help him take over and expand his empire.

According to Eli this is the last Bible in existence. All the others were destroyed by hopeless, faithless people after the “flash”. A “Voice” has told him he must take the book west to someplace where it is needed. Carnegie’s town is not that place.

Refusing to join Carnegie and relinquish the Bible, Eli is hunted and pursued across the desert. He is joined by a young girl he meets in town, Solara (Mila Kunis from That 70s Show) who has become touched and inspired by the words Eli has shared with her from the Bible. Up until now, the Bible protected Eli in some rather amazing ways, but after losing it in a fire fight to Carnegie, Eli is shot and wounded. Solara manages to escape from Carnegie and his men and returns to help Eli reach his final destination.

The ending of the film reveals a surprise that I won’t spoil for you. It’s subtlety like this that makes for a good film. Even though there are clues, the movie doesn’t map everything out for you as though you can’t think for yourself. The depiction of divinity, although understated up until the end, was mind-blowing when you look back over the entire film. Out of 5 fingers, I’d have to give this one a 4.