Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Soapbox: Movie Theater Etiquette

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On July 24, 2012

In Soapbox

I recently saw a movie and I rarely see a movie in the theater, mainly because I think its too expensive to see movies anymore. I really dislike movies that are only available in 3D because I really don’t want to pay an extra $4 per ticket just for a gimmick whose fad is starting to wane. But I digress.

So my past movie theater experience was The Dark Knight Rises (you can read my review of it here) and I had a rather rude stranger sitting next to me. He started by arriving late so his girlfriend kept texting and calling him but it was only during the previews so it wasn’t that upsetting, but it set the precedent for the remainder of the evening. He sat right next to me and seemed to want to check his texts or respond to texts every 10 minutes. In fact at one point he was talking on the phone to his girlfriend who he sent out to get him pizza (from the local pizza place located in the same building as the theater).

I couldn’t believe how rude and obnoxious this asshat was. There were a few times I became really tempted to start screwing with the guy. I even thought about trying to reach over and grab a slice of his pizza. In fact I think from now on if you are sitting next to me and you feel the need to read and respond to your text messages, expect to share your messages with me. If I see you reading and sending texts I am going to purposefully look at your phone. I’m not going to try to hide it either. I am going to lean over so you can feel my breath on your neck because obviously your text messages are more interesting then the movie.

There is a reason that theaters have the promotions that play just before the movie asking all patrons to turn their phones off. All of us paid to watch the movie but your texts and phone conversations are not part of the experience, unless you are sitting next to me … then I will make them part of my experience.

/end soapbox

Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

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On July 21, 2012

In General Cogitation, Movies, Reviews

[rating: 5]

Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman

Synopsis: It has been 8 years since Batman took the blame for Harvey Dent’s evil indiscretions and in that time nobody has seen or heard from Batman or Bruce Wayne. Now a new evil emerges connected to Bruce Wayne’s past, Bane. Now Batman must learn to accept the past tragedies and save Gotham once again but he isn’t alone as some new allies come to his aid.

Biggs’ Review:The previous Batman franchise began degrading after the second film, when Tim Burton was no longer involved with the movie and Michael Keaton was no longer Batman. This was the stigma Christopher Nolan had to overcome. The fact that this film kept the same director and the same actors for all three films already puts it ahead of its predecessors.

I would say that The Dark Knight (the second film) is the best movie of the franchise but this movie definitely comes in second place. I thought Tom Hardy was incredible as Bane. Just as Heath Ledger, you hardly knew it was Tom Hardy but Heath Ledger’s Joker is still far more legendary. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was also incredible. I really liked him in this movie and his character’s story takes on an unexpected twist at the end. In fact the end of the movie leaves a few options open for a spin off or two. Christopher Nolan does a great job of wrapping up his Dark Knight trilogy. I think one of the best things about this movie, its not in 3D!

The MMO Times: Before The Dark Knight Rises

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On July 19, 2012

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

Issue 41

Greetings again, Gamers! Now that all the hype of Comic-Con is out of our systems we are all watching diligently for news of the next big titles. Granted Gamescom is coming up and there might be a few surprises for MMO gamers. I know everyone is also anxiously awaiting the final Batman movie (to begin at midnight tonight) so here are some articles to keep you occupied while you wait in the lines.

In this issue there is more news for those awaiting MechWarrior Online, more news about SWTOR despite all the vile hatred spewing from some gamers and MMO “pundits”, and the reviews are in for The Secret World. Read on gamers and don’t spoil the ending of Batman for those that haven’t seen it yet.

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Soapbox: Don’t Punish the Students

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On July 19, 2012

In Soapbox

When the accusations emerged of the atrocities of Jerry Sandusky, I admit that I gave Joe Paterno the benefit of the doubt. I thought that perhaps he was so disgusted with the accusations that he wanted nothing to do with Jerry Sandusky again (now why Sandusky remained on the staff, I don’t know).

However, after the findings that came out of the Louis Freeh report I regret ever saying anything in defense of Joe Paterno. Whether he was coerced into cooperation or was involved with the decision to cover it up, he is just as creepy just for covering it up. I don’t care how much football is embedded into your life, you shouldn’t place your career, or the wonderful sport of football, above any form of sexual abuse prevention. I don’t blame the university and the NCAA for giving consideration to tearing down the Paterno statue or even striking his achievements from the record books. (As a side note, whether its written or not he will still be remembered as the former “most winning-est” college football coach).

I don’t agree, however, with the possibility that the NCAA might shutdown Penn State’s football program. Perhaps if it was decided to do it for one season, while harsh, is warranted. There are some that seem to be calling for the permanent shutdown of Penn State’s football program, which is just a little too far. I understand that the high ranking university officials need to be punished for allowing such terrible things to happen, but shutting down the football program punishes the students!! It will destroy an already severely damaged student body population. I’m sure enrollment will be almost non-existent and recruitment will be even more sparse, but if you shut down the football program then they should downgrade Penn State’s status has a major university.

I just can’t believe that they would even consider shutting it down permanently. Haven’t the students, and the current football players, been through enough devastation? Football was not the reason Jerry Sandusky did what he did so why take that away from the students? Such a decision could literally smash the dreams of many aspiring athletes. I do not condone any of the actions of those university officials involved with the cover up but keeping the football program alive won’t be perpetuating their grievous actions. The law will see to it that they are properly punished but keep the football program open so Penn State has a chance to try to rebuild its lost rapport.

/end soapbox

SWTOR: It’s Gonna Be Around A While

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On July 18, 2012

In Gaming, SWTOR

There is so much doomsday talk around Star Wars The Old Republic that I think something positive needs to be posted out there (thank God for Hyperspace Beacon). It’s as if everyone wants SWTOR to fail, but it’s not going to fail! Just because subscription rates dropped 20% after the first couple of months (which is the industry standard for every MMO), or some executive leaves the company doesn’t mean the game is failing (unless your CEO is Curt Schilling). I am still playing SWTOR and let me tell you that it has a great player base and, since 1.3, I have had several of my friends come back to play it.

Bioware still holds weekly Developer Q&A sessions where they consider player ideas and questions and discuss what players can expect in the next patch or what tweaks the developers are working on. Clearly that is a sign its failing.

Bioware still performs weekly maintenance on all the servers for 4-6 hours (which is the same timetable for Blizzard maintenance) to improve server performance and stability. Clearly that is also a sign its failing.

Bioware is still introducing new content for players at major events (such as the recent HK-51 unveiling at Comic-Con – which, by the way, I am really excited about). OMG! Clearly they are going under!

All of these false prophets need to find something else to pick on and stop all this pathetic whining. SWTOR is a great game and its doing quite well. We should let the business people, that actually understand how business works, handle the natural functions of running a large corporation. I will bet real money that we will still be talking about content updates for SWTOR a year from now and all the lousy doomsayers will have moved on to the next “so-called” flop (which appears to be Elder Scrolls Online, so be ready Bathesda’s PR department).

By the way, if you haven’t tried the new features in 1.3, come back and check them out. Granted you have missed the free 7-day window but renewing for one month won’t kill you (unless you are republic scum and you’re on Corellian Run, mwahahahaha … j/k).

Cheers!

The MMO Times: The 40th Issue!

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On July 13, 2012

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

Issue 40

It’s Comic-Con week this week and man I wish I was there. William Shatner, Felicia Day, the entire Firefly cast (including Joss Wheadon) are just a couple of the big reasons I wish I were there! It’s also been a slow week in gaming this week not only because of Comic-Con but also because SWTOR patch 1.3 and The Secret World are now in full swing. So I know we are all busy doing what we all do best, but perhaps you will find some of the following articles and posts interesting.

In this 40th issue of the MMO Times there is more information regarding the Game of Thrones MMO, a new Ultima MMO from EA, some more reviews for The Secret World and the announcement of some new incentive programs from Bioware. Read on and enjoy!

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