The SomethingSomethingCast

Hey Somethings,

Back on November 4th of last year, I made a blog about some games I was looking forward to.  Well, since then, I’ve had a chance to play some of them and…   well..   I wanted to give my thoughts.

Need For Speed Unbound

Man,  I wanted to like this game.  The controls were solid, I did enjoy the mix of art styles, the customization was good…   so what went wrong?
To start, it was.. well.. how the game started.  You start by choosing one of three beat up cars to restore.  “Ok, cool” I thought.. I was down for that.  Except.. once you choose your car.. it’s restored!  Ok.. so.. moving on.  The controls of the first car you get are… in a word…SLOPPY.  You can’t control it… the turning is horrendous….  it’s just a hot mess.  It made me feel like when I tried to play the ported 2016 “Need for Speed” and the controller wouldn’t sync right.  After about an hour of trying to fight through it.. you find out (thanks to the story), that it’s SUPPOSED to be that way… oh.. joy.  Ok.  Bad taste in my mouth aside, let’s keep trying it.  It’s not that it’s bad.. it just gets super repetitive, and, regardless of the difficulty level, the cop chases are nearly insurmountable.  It also had this weird jump-cut mechanic at the end of a race… “Hey!  You win!  Freeze-frame-pan-around-your-car…  and then as soon as it unfreezes and you’re back in the game, there are 3-5 cops right behind you… even though there were none in the race.  It all felt very.. .forced.. and not fun.

Sons of the Forest

Man, I wanted to like this game…(sound familiar?)  The original “The Forest” was fun in a way that this one…   wasn’t?  Sure there are some new ‘things’ on the island to fight, but… it felt like the game knew that YOU knew you were going to see some shit.. so they turned that shit up to 11.  I can’t even say I didn’t like the game, more that I was just disappointed in the ending.  It was going along pretty well.. finding new gear… new things.. cool.. and then, just as it’s ramping up, it’s…..  CUTSCENE then ENDING and.. the cutscene was very… ‘bwahh?’  Was it an Early Access game?  Yes, and I suppose I should give it some slack for that.. but a game of that style shouldn’t have an ‘early access’.  It’s a narrative.  It should be completed before it’s released.  Instead, they were adding things as they went… and apparently still plan to do so.  Do they think the people who’ve already gotten the head-scratching ending will go back to see what extra exposition stuff they’ve added?  If so, they’ve guesses wrong with me.  Sons was very much a step back from the original.

What about you?  Have YOU played these games?  If so, let me know your thoughts over at the usual social media places you can find in the buttons up top!

Also, don’t forget, Livestream For The Cure VII starts May18th through the 20th.  Head to livestreamforthecure for info on how to watch and how to donate!

– PCR

Every now and then, a movie comes out that’s “Based On Actual Events”.  “The Courier” comes to mind, as does “Eight Men Out” and “Schindler’s List”.  Well, now that list of movies must share the stage with the tale of a 500 lb bear that goes on a coke bender.  This week, Hatton and Podcast Rob head to Georgia to take on “Cocaine Bear” in this episode of “Something In Review”!

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Last week I got to go do something I haven’t done in a long time… go to the movies.

But what film did you go see Hatton? Was it that Dracula movie with Nicholas Cage? What about the new Pixar Disney Marvel Star Wars of the Rings?

Nope. I got together with old friends Wild Pig Chris & Bill and settle in to a journey to the planet Mongo to watch a football star save the universe behind the synth rocking track of one of the greatest bands of all time.  That’s right. Logan’s Run Flash Gordon.

I walked away from it feeling like I haven’t felt in years coming from a film, and I wondered if it was because I hadn’t sat in a big squooshy reclining seat with a THX sound system and a 20 foot screen since Mr. Stark turned into Dustbuster chow. I came to the realization that, where that all added to the moment, it was because Flash Gordon is one of the greatest pieces of trash ever made.

Please understand first that I hold the movie in high regard and that my usage of the term trash here in no way means the film is bad. It isn’t. It’s amazing, but there is not a single decision in that movie that doesn’t scream how cocaine fueled its era was. So, in a little history lesson, the movie was made by a mix of Italian and American/British folks. The Italian crew thought the movie was going to be a dark space opera. The english speakers thought it was a kitchy silly romp. This is why you have huge techno-color sets with exquisitely made high-fashion costumes. It’s why you get a scene where Ming’s right hand man’s face explodes out of its orifaces in one scene and Flash knocks out an army with a space watermelon with Looney Toon DONK noises.

Try and find another movie that feels like Flash Gordon and, importantly, doesn’t act like it knows it. Even the campiest Bolliwood mockbuster that plays its silliness as serious as possible still can’t hold a candle to Topal somehow pulling off being both Lex Luther and Otis simultaneously on one side, while the imposing presence of Max von Sydow puts on a sly smirking masterclass in evil vamping on the other.

I have seen Flash Gordon dozens of times as it was a staple of my teenage nonstop television diet, but until I saw it on the big screen… I don’t think I SAW Flash Gordon. You can listen to Jimi, but you can’t hear Jimi. Well, for the first time, I think I saw Flash Gordon in the brilliance it intended. It’s gaudy, it’s silly, it’s cheezy, and it’s a blended mess of ideas based on a dry sci-fi comic with a plot straight from a bad Dr. Who episode – and yet, somehow, it is an overly saturated rainbow of fun that doesn’t wink at its audience or apologize.

Ever have a movie experience that changed the way you looked at a film? Sound off in all of the places.

Send war rocket ajax… to breeeng back his boody…

“This is your favorite podcast that just did an episode on game shows”
“The SomethingSomethingcast?”
“Sorry, you’re wrong, the answer must be in the form of a question you dullard who has seen this show for a thousand years”

We’ve all lived with game shows in our lives. They are a fun natural part of a sick-day from school.. you’ve come to know which are your favorites, and so did we, and we’re telling you because that’s our job and if you guess them all, you will win a NEW CAR!

Ok, here we– you won’t win a car. I’ve been informed I must legally say you will not win a car, that was a joke.

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Hey Somethings, PCR here!

It’s that time of the year again.  That time when we have the privilege.. nay.. the honor of being part of this year’s “Livestream For the Cure”!

Livestream For the Cure VII takes place May 18-20, from 2pm to midnight on the 18th, and noon to midnight the 19th and 20th.  Our goal this year is to raise $25,000 for The Cancer Research Institute for investments and research into Cancer Immunotherapy.  Over the previous 6 years, Livestream For the Cure has raised over $70,000, and this year, thanks to some generous folks who will match our raised funds, we have the potential to raise a total of $50,000 if we reach our goal.

When we started The Something Something ‘Cast 10 years ago, we always said, if we ever get a following, or an audience, or a platform from which to speak.. we had to use our powers for good.  Being lucky enough to become attached to this phenomenal cause and participate every year for the past 4, is something we look forward to each and every year, and we are once again humbled to be a part of this year’s event, on May 20th, at 2pm EST.

For those of you reading this (or, listening to this if you’re a member of our Patreon), we’ll be doing a 12 hour Twitch stream on Saturday, April 29th over at twitch.tv/somethingcast to help promote the event.  Early donations are welcome, and anyone who DOES donate early, take a screenshot of your donation confirmation and tweet it to us @STSTCast with the hashtag #CrushCancer and we’ll randomly pick 3 winners for some Something swag.

To keep up to date on all event news and happenings, check out www.livestreamforthecure.com!

These days are yours and mine, these Happy Days.

In the world of early 80s sitcoms, there was one king of cool.. Arthur Fonzarelli. As the Urkel of his day, the Fonz was a leather-clad dreamboat on one of the biggest and most memorable sitcoms of the day.  The problem is, it is also the sitcom that coined the term we use when a show stops being cool or interesting and leaps over the large sea-dwelling creature.

So, 6 years after the shark incident, did Happy Days find its footing again? Or was it good-bye blue skies, hello grey? Find out on The End: Happy Days

Ok here we rock around the clock,

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Have you seen Cocaine Bear?

Let me tell you, because I don’t watch trailers and I avoid discussion of something until I’ve seen it… I had no idea what kind of movie it was going to be. Obviously, the premise is silly so comedy was likely, but it could have just as likely been a ‘Giant Squid vs Ice Spider’ Asylum Films situation.  It made me look back and think of some of my favorite comedy horror flicks…

Slither – Featuring a bunch of people you love a little bit before you loved them, this James Gunn ‘alien slugs’ movie is just silly. It knows what it is and leans deep into its premise.

Killer Klowns – A movie that is as much a soundtrack as it is a movie, Killer Klowns has no right being as fun as it is given how dumb its premise is. That said, I’ve watched the hell out of this movie over the years.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil – A movie that says ‘How do we take Army of Darkness’ and make it even sillier? Two hillbillies are mistaken as the traditional murdering crazy guys and it just goes from there.  It’s ‘what if Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a big misunderstanding?’ ..and that’s brilliant.

Now, there are a lot of other movies I could mention. Army of Darkness, but I don’t think its horror enough. Trick R Treat, but I don’t think its funny enough. An honorable mention goes out to National Lampoon’s Class Reunion, but I saw it as a kid and have no idea if it holds up. (It features a Smothers Brother for god’s sake). There was really only one winning pick.

Cabin In The Woods – I think it’s an obvious choice. It takes a great horror premise that could have been done and redone and just leaves you wanting so much more while telling a funny as hell story. It tweaks every horror trope and mocks everything it so clearly loves.  There is no way it couldn’t be my favorite.

So, what are yours? I do have expect Rob will see this and go ‘How come we didn’t do this as an episode’ — and the fact is I thought of that midway through writing it, hell I had to go check to make sure we didn’t already.  So, what are your favs? Let us know!

The Somethings occasionally dabble into streaming (link in the bar above) – and where we know it’s been a while, and we promise ourselves we’ll get back to it.. there is a lot of work that goes into it. You have to put in the time, talk like people are watching, and keep to a regular schedule. We already pretend to do all of that for this podcast, so it just feels like such a to-do to do it with games too!

But, on our journeys, we bumped into a guy who just exudes goodness and positivity, and every time you would watch him playing DBD or Call of Duty, you can just see how uch fun you can have while sharing your time with people on a streaming platform.  His name is ThePrinceGamingUK, and he is our Creator Spotlight for this ewek’s episode of The Wheel.

If you would like to go tell The Prince that we said ‘hi’ – you can do so on his Twitch here, and all of his other sharing platforms available here.

Ok, here we go!

Full Episode

Hey all, PCR here.

The original The Crow movie is one of my favorite movies of all time.  That is not to say it is one of my favorite franchises of all time.  City of Angels was an understandable and noble attempt to continue on after Brandon Lee’s tragic death, but the movie was sloppy and misguided and, in my opinion, doomed from the start merely because it was trying to be made at all and continue on.  Every movie after that was cash grab…  Salvation.. Wicked Prayer… the TV series with Marc Dacascos was “ok”, but I can’t give it any more praise than that.

Needless to say, the arc of The Crow franchise is almost as bleak as the story of Eric in James O’Barr’s original comic.  Which brings us to the reboot.  Or the attempted reboot.  Or.. the ‘many-times-attempted’ reboot.  Numerous names have been attached to the project… Mark Wahlberg, Bradley Cooper, Luke Evans, Jason Momoa, and most recently Bill Skarsgard.  The Skarsgard version has been filming in Prague and wrapped production in September of ’22.

My biggest question is…

…is this film needed?

Other than Hollywood’s seemingly unending need to consistently lack original ideas and continue having to go back to the well.. who’s honestly asking for this?  Is the multitude of failed and false-starts for this project something that will doom it before it even (eventually) hits theaters?

I love the comics, and I love the original.. but perhaps this is one we just leave alone.  In closing, I leave you with a comment original director Alex Proyas made in a podcast interview in 2019.

“I personally tried to squash it every time I hear of one, not that I believe I’ve been able to. I think extenuating circumstances have stopped it being made because if Hollywood wants to make something that they don’t listen to schmucks like me who bring noble and moralistic issues. My point is that Brandon Lee made that movie what it is. He made that movie, he made that character. That character was not taken from a comic book, that was Brandon. And Brandon Lee died making that movie, he paid the worst price anyone could ever pay making a movie and it’s his legacy. The guy would have been a huge star after that movie. He wasn’t able to ever do that. That’s his final testimony to his talent and that’s why I finished the movie. I finished it for Brandon. After being devastated about what happened we shut down the production and I went back to Australia. Months later I went back and watched the movie and his family all the other actors, everyone involved, said ‘You’ve got to finish this movie because Brandon is so great in it’ and he was. I was able to watch it and see how great he was and I thought then the movie deserves to be completed because it’s his legacy. So that’s what the movie is, it’s not just a movie that can be remade. It’s one man’s legacy. And it should be treated with that level of respect.”

-PCR

Do you like scary movies? 

Obviously one half of the Somethings loves a scary scare. The other has more reserved tastes when it comes to scare factors… not to say they don’t enjoy horror, but it wouldn’t be their fastest, furiousest pick (if ya get what I mean).

So what did they think of last year’s Scream relaunch? Does it do Sydney & friends justice, or should Ghostface hang up the mask for good?

Find out now on Something In Review: Scream 5

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