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• Film Info

Rated PG-13 (Sequences of Intense Sci-Fi Action and Violence)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 54 Minutes

Cast:
Chris Hemsworth-Thor
Tom Hiddleston-Loki
Natalie Portman-Jane Foster
Anthony Hopkins-Odin, King of Asgard
Stellan Skarsgård-Dr. Erik Selvig
Kat Dennings-Darcy Lewis
Clark Gregg-Phil Coulson, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Colm Feore-Laufey, King of Jotunheim
Idris Elba-Heimdall
Jaimie Alexander-Sif
Ray Stevenson-Volstagg
Tadanobu Asano-Hogun
Josh Dallas-Fandral
Rene Russo-Frigga, Queen of Asgard
Jeremy Renner-Clint Barton\Hawkeye
Samuel L. Jackson-Nick Fury

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Inspired by the deity of the same name from Norse mythology and created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby, Marvel Comics’ Thor, who first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 in 1963, is perhaps one of the more difficult superheroes to adapt to the big-screen. Much of this has to do with humanizing a god in such a way that audiences can identify with and care about. Selecting Kenneth Branagh to direct was an inspired choice on Marvel’s part, as his background in Shakespearean adaptations gives Thor the dramatic heft needed to stand out from other big-budget summer blockbusters. It may not reach the cinematic heights of Spider-Man 2 or The Dark Knight, but Branagh’s Thor successfully mixes humor with drama, blending classic Norse mythology with comic book action and Shakespearean undertones to create a thoroughly entertaining film that stands tall with the upper echelon of Marvel’s film résumé.

Thor begins with a narration by Odin (Anthony Hopkins), ruler of Asgard, who recounts to his two sons, Thor and Loki, about the war with the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, led by King Laufey (Colm Feore), and their eventual defeat and subsequent truce. To prevent them from starting another campaign of conquest, the Asgardians seize the power source of the Frost Giants, the Casket of Ancient Winters, and put it under heavy guard in their armory. In the present, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), now a brave, yet reckless, warrior is preparing to ascend to the throne of Asgard in a lavish ceremony, which is interrupted when three Frost Giants sneak into the armory in an attempt to steal the Casket back. Odin uses his automaton creation, the Destroyer, and stops the theft, but Thor decides to confront Laufey and demand answers. Against his father’s orders, Thor, along with his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and friends Sif (Jaimie Alexander), Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Joshua Dallas) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano), travels to Jotunheim through the Bifröst Bridge. After a tense exchange, Thor’s arrogance gets the better of him and he and his companions are forced to battle against a legion of Frost Giants. Odin arrives to intervene and with the truce now shattered, he takes away Thor’s power and banishes him to Earth. He enchants his hammer, Mjolnir, with an unbreakable spell: ‘Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.’ Now powerless, Thor awakes in New Mexico and finds himself tagging along with a group of astrophysicists which inclide Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her mentor Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), and their assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings). Mjolnir lands and creates a huge crater, with the site coming under quarantine by agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., led by Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg). As Thor spends time with Jane, he begins to fall in love with her and comes to realize the reason why his father banished him. Meanwhile, back in Asgard, Loki takes advantage of the situation and schemes to take the throne to eliminate his brother and those who oppose him, once and for all.

With Thor, Branagh has successfully mixed the fantasy elements of Asgard with the real-world, something a lesser director would have screwed up. Instead of making them out-right gods, the Asgardians are essentially an inter-dimensional race whose science and technology is misunderstood as magic by humans. The Bifröst Bridge actually leads to a massive, spherical portal-device that is activated by Heimdall’s (Idris Elba) sword, transporting anyone to the world (called a realm in the film) of their choice by opening a wormhole in space. Yggdrasil, the world tree, is interpreted as a network that connects all the other realms. Despite being a massive comic book fan, I do not read Thor as religiously as Spider-Man, but I do dabble from time-to-time. The central conflict has always been between Thor and his adopted brother Loki, and this is where the Shakespeare inspiration is clearly felt. It is this complicated relationship that Branagh takes full advantage of, making it the driving force of the film. Loki, played with excellence by Tom Hiddleston, lacks the physical prowess of Thor and uses guile and deceit to win his battles. He is a snake who purrs wisdom in your ears, but then does not hesitate to stab you in the back. He is like Iago from Othello.

Of course, the best villains are the ones who don’t see themselves as evil, which is why Lex Luther has been such an enduring foil to Superman. His methods may be underhanded and occupy a moral gray area, but Loki, in his heart of hearts, genuinely believes that what he is doing is to the benefit of Asgard and his people. Branagh also balances the drama with a healthy dose of humor. Thor’s time on Earth is a classic ‘fish-out-of-water’ experience as he struts around the fictional small town of Puente Antiguo, acting all high and mighty. He smashes cups to the floor to demand more coffee and walks into pet stores yelling, ‘I NEED A HORSE!’ When the owner says they only have cats, dogs, and birds, he says, ‘Well…give me one of those that is big enough to ride!’ Still, Thor is not a perfect film and the main issue I have is with its brevity, as everything goes by too quickly and certain subplots, like the romance, are rushed. An extra 20 to 30 minutes would have benefitted the film, but you know how impatient the masses are. Thor’s exile lasts only a few days and just like that, he falls in love with Jane and realizes the error of his ways. It just doesn’t build up to it organically.

Audiences looking for non-stop explosions will be disappointed as there are essentially only three action scenes. The film’s major set-piece is at the end of the first act when Thor and his companions confront Laufey, leading to a massive battle between a seemingly unending army of Frost Giants. The other two action scenes are rather short. The Destroyer arrives to tear up the town but Thor handles him without breaking a sweat. Of course, he and Loki meet at the end and engage in a rather epic melee battle, although it’s certainly smaller in scope compared to the fight with the Frost Giants. The visual effects, while nothing to write home about, are certainly impressive enough to convey that alien sense of wonder when the camera majestically sweeps around Asgard. As for the 3D, I didn’t bother. Hollywood has burned me too many times with lazy post-conversions such as Clash of the Titans and The Last Airbender that it’s just not worth the extra surcharge. I have read that Thor is another lazy conversion as the fight scenes end up being a blurry grey mess, which I’m not surprised to hear. However, seeing it in 2D may be a problem as theaters go out of their way to limit these showings to only four or five, while there are 15 to 20 showings of the 3D version, including IMAX.

When it comes to superhero films, one of the great things about them is that it can turn unknown actors/actresses into overnight stars. Chris Hemsworth, last seen as Captain James T. Kirk’s father in J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” reboot, nails the role of Thor with aplomb. He is arrogant and does not think of the consequences of his actions, driven more by anger than forethought. While his change is a little abrupt, it is his sincere delivery that convinces us. Even more impressive is Tom Hiddleston as Loki. He doesn’t play him as full-on evil, but as an outcast desperate to leave his brother’s shadow and convince his father that he is every bit as capable in leading Asgard as Thor. In fact, Hiddleston makes Loki sympathetic as he only wants to do what he feels is right, even if it is not morally right. The rest of the supporting cast isn’t given much to work with, however, and it’s more to do with the script than their actual performances. Natalie Portman giggles and acts all flustered, but is not convincing as an astrophysicist. I can buy that she and Thor are attracted to each other, but a full-on romance? The film’s running time just isn’t long enough for it to develop. As Jane’s mentor, Stellan Skarsgård delivers some sage advice while Kat Dennings serves as the film’s comic relief. Anthony Hopkins’ presence adds some class to the proceedings, but his role doesn’t grow beyond that of a stern father. Thor’s comrades-in-arms, played by Jaimie Alexander, Ray Stevenson, Joshua Dallas, and Tadanobu Asano also have limited screen-time, but at least their camaraderie results in some funny moments.

Thor was released on May 6, 2011 and officially kicks off the summer movie season. Reviews have been positive, with a solid 79% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics called the film ‘a dazzling blockbuster that tempers its sweeping scope with wit, humor, and human drama.’ The real test is at the box office and whether audiences will accept Thor seeing as he is not as popular as Spider-Man or Batman. Well, it looks like they have as the film has grossed $26 million on Friday, on its way for a $60 to $65 million weekend total. It has already made an additional $133 million from foreign grosses. While this may not seem impressive compared to last weekend’s Fast Five, Thor has more hurdles to overcome. Also, Fast Five is what I call a ‘junk food film’: easily digestible entertainment for the masses, but lacking in soul. A lot of things could have gone wrong with Thor and it could have a been cheesy farce, but Branagh skillfully grounds the fantastical elements in a way that we can actually believe that such a world like Asgard can exist, whose inhabitants, despite wielding extraordinary powers, are just as human as you and me. That is what Branagh has done and makes Thor another winner for Marvel.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

“For the first time in my life, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do…”

Note: Make sure to stay after the credits for a special scene involving a certain ‘cube’ with ‘cosmic’ repercussions in the upcoming film, “The Avengers,” coming to theaters May 4, 2012!

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 Rated PG-13 (Thematic Material involving Sexuality, Violence and Combat Sequences, and for Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 50 Minutes

Cast:
Emily Browning-Baby Doll
Abbie Cornish-Sweet Pea
Jena Malone-Rocket
Vanessa Hudgens-Blondie
Jamie Chung-Amber
Oscar Isaac-Blue Jones
Carla Gugino-Dr. Vera Gorski
Scott Glenn-The Wise Man/The General/The Bus Driver
Jon Hamm-The Doctor/High Roller
Malcolm Scott-The Cook
Gerard Plunkett-Baby Doll’s Stepfather

Directed by Zack Snyder

Director Zack Snyder has quickly made a name for himself since his debut in 2004 with “Dawn of the Dead,” a remake of George A. Romero’s 1978 classic zombie film of the same name. He followed with two comic book adaptations in 2007 and 2009, Frank Miller’s “300” and Alan Moore’s “Watchmen.” He’s been locked in to helm the reboot of the next “Superman” film due in December, 2012, with Christopher Nolan as producer. Unfortunately, Snyder’s recent work leaves much to be desired. His first foray into animation, “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” adapted from Kathryn Lasky’s series of fantasy books of the same name, received mixed reviews and little audience attention. His latest, the action-fantasy “Sucker Punch” is right up Snyder’s alley with its images of skimpy-clad women wielding all sorts of weaponry. While “Sucker Punch” features some ridiculous action scenes and unique visuals, none of it amounts to anything as the story is a convoluted mess with virtually no character development. Shakespeare says it best in Macbeth: ‘It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.’

In 1955, a 20-year old girl nicknamed Baby Doll (Emily Browning) is sent to the Lennox House for the Mentally Insane by her cruel stepfather after she attempts to kill him, but accidentally shoots her sister instead. The stepfather bribes a corrupt orderly named Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac) to forge the signature of the asylum’s main therapist, Dr. Vera Gorski (Carla Gugino), and have Baby Doll undergo a trans-orbital lobotomy. With the Doctor (Jon Hamm) arriving in five days, Baby Doll retreats into a fantasy world where she imagines herself as a new arrival at a brothel/strip club run by Jones, with Gorski serving as the girls’ dance instructor. Set on escaping, Baby Doll befriends four other dancers, Amber (Jamie Chung), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), Rocket (Jena Malone) and her older sister, Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish). Their goal is to retrieve five items: a map, fire, a knife, a key, with the final item being unknown. Whenever Baby Doll dances, she again retreats into another fantasy world where she and her friends are dressed in skimpy, burlesque clothing wielding swords and assault rifles, battling all sorts of monsters. This world reflects their attempt to retrieve said items. Baby Doll, along with her friends, race against the clock to escape, as she has been sold to ‘the High Roller’ (also Jon Hamm), who will be arriving in five days.

I must say, Snyder certainly has quite the imagination (or should I say fetish) but he really can’t write worth a damn. “Sucker Punch” is what would happen if “Inception” was written by a horny thirteen-year-old boy. The story is a total mess and none of it ever makes sense or feels compelling because there’s no emotional risk involved. The girls themselves serve absolutely no purpose other than to look sexy wearing as little clothing as a PG-13 rating allows. Also, why is this film rated PG-13 when it so clearly wants to be rated R? With the exception of “Legend of the Guardians,” Snyder’s previous films have been rated R so I wonder what happened here. “Sucker Punch” strives for meaning with its themes of female empowerment, but it ends up half-baked and clashes with what we’re shown on-screen. So that just leaves the action scenes and while they’re visually impressive, it’s a given with a Snyder film. Dressed in a midriff-baring, Catholic school girl outfit and wielding a samurai sword, Baby Doll battles with giant mechanical samurai’s, with one of them firing a huge chain gun. Another has her and her friends mow down legions of German soldiers during World War II with a steampunk twist. There’s also a dragon that makes its lair in a gothic castle and a chase toward a speeding train carrying a bomb that’s headed for a nearby city. Each is more ridiculous than the last and it slows down frequently to show off the eye-candy. However, the music video vibe and the accompanying songs feel tacky and clichéd. What would’ve been the film’s saving grace ends up being dull because there’s never any sense of danger and by the time there is, I could not care less!

While the five actresses look sexy, none of them do any actual acting. Emily Browning sports the same glazed-over expression with her flat dialogue delivery. Jena Malone fares better as the ‘tough chick’ but only Abbie Cornish’s performance comes close to being three-dimensional, providing some semblance of drama. Vanessa Hudgens and Jamie Chung end up doing very little except as window-dressing. As the villain, Oscar Isaac excels at playing a slimy sleaze-ball. Carla Gugino spends much of the film sporting a heavy Russian accent and Jon Hamm only appears in two scenes that amount to absolutely nothing. Finally, there’s Scott Glenn in an Obi-Wan Kenobi role as the Wise Man, sprouting such golden nuggets of wisdom such as, ‘If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.’

“Sucker Punch” was released on March 25, 2011 and has received highly negative reviews, with 20% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it Snyder’s worst-reviewed film. Critics noted that it’s ‘technically impressive and loaded with eye-catching images, but without characters or a plot to support them, all of [the film’s] visual thrills are for naught.’ Although it has a huge marketing push, the film failed to garner much attention at the box office, with a middling $19 million debut and coming in second place to “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.” With only $24 million domestic, it’ll have to make up its $82 million production budget through foreign grosses. Snyder has also promised an R-rated director’s cut when it releases on Blu-Ray and DVD. “Sucker Punch” is a gigantic failure for Snyder and represents everything that’s wrong with Hollywood film-making today where the visuals have become the story without actually having a story. The action will thrill hormone-raging boys but with little of substance, the film is a dull, lifeless, incomprehensible affair that’s a waste of everyone’s talent (including Snyder’s) and time. Come on, Snyder, I know you can do better than this. Makes us proud in “Superman”!

Final Rating: 2 out of 5

“Who honors those we love for the very life we live? Who sends monsters to kill us…and at the same time sings that we’ll never die? Who teaches us what’s real…and how to laugh at lies? Who decides why we live and what we’ll die to defend? Who chains us…and who holds the key that can set us free? It’s you. You have all the weapons you need. Now fight!”

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Rated PG-13 (Some Violence including Disturbing Images, and for Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 33 Minutes

Cast:
Jake Gyllenhaal-Captain Colter Stevens/Sean Fentress
Michelle Monaghan-Christina Warren
Vera Farmiga-Captain Colleen Goodwin
Jeffrey Wright-Dr. Rutledge
Michael Arden-Derek Frost
Cas Anvar-Hazmi
Russell Peters-Max Denoff
Brent Skagford-George Troxel
Scott Bakula (voice)-Colter’s Father

Directed by Duncan Jones

British director Duncan Jones made a splash in 2008 with his feature debut, “Moon,” a science fiction/drama film that earned him numerous accolades from critics, but unfortunately was ignored by mainstream audiences. With influences from Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” and Stanislaw Lem’s 1961 novel Solaris, “Moon” ‘illustrates a truism forgotten by Hollywood: the best science fiction films are about something’ (James Berardinelli, ReelViews). In his sophomore outing, Jones directs “Source Code,” a film where he had no hand in writing the script. Can lighting strike twice for this rising director? The answer is yes as “Source Code,” despite being let down by a forced and contrived ending, benefits from its taut pacing, an intriguing and novel premise, and a sincere performance from Jake Gyllenhaal.

A decorated U.S. Army helicopter pilot serving in Afghanistan named Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up disoriented and confused on a commuter train headed for Chicago. Sitting across from him is an attractive woman named Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan), who seems to know him as history teacher Sean Fentress. With no memory of how he arrived there, Colter discovers to his shock that his face is not his own. Eight minutes later, a bomb explodes, derailing and killing everyone onboard the train. However, Colter is not dead and wakes up trapped in some sort of capsule. He is greeted by Air Force officer Captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga), who reveals that he is in a military experiment dubbed the ‘Source Code,’ which allows Colter to take over the mind and body of someone in his or her last eight minutes of life. It is a way to visit the past through an alternate reality/parallel universe. Goodwin briefs Colter that earlier in the day, a bomb went off and destroyed a train heading for Chicago, the same train he had awoken in. Colter’s mission is to find the bomb and discover the person who built it so he can prevent a second bomb, a dirty nuclear device, from going off in downtown Chicago. Each time, he will only have eight minutes to complete his goal. However, stopping the bomb is the least of Colter’s problems as he also tries to unravel the mystery of how he came to participate in the Source Code.

At first glance, “Source Code” looks like another generic sci-fi action flick, with its tag-line a blatant rip-off of “127 Hours” but thanks to its intriguing premise, it successfully blends elements of “24” with 2006’s “Déjà Vu,” a Denzel Washington film that also explored time travel through the use of alternate timelines. There are certainly some gaps in its logic and its ideas on alternate realities, infinite parallel universes, and quantum mechanics will go over mainstream audiences, but it is precisely these elements that elevate it from the average science fiction film. It also touches upon the military’s obsession of turning soldiers into living weapons at the cost of their own humanity. Since Colter is forced to relive the same eight minutes over and over again, Jones is at risk of being repetitive, even if it is out of necessity for the story. He manages to hold our attention through the slight altering of details and character actions, dropping a few breadcrumbs here and there. It is an absolute must that you are alert or you’ll become lost. The pacing is tight so it is unlikely to be a bore, but “Source Code” is unfortunately let down with an out-of-the-blue ending that actually confuses more than it helps. The film comes to a brilliant and satisfying stopping point, but it’s saddled with a forced and contrived ending in an effort to leave the audience feeling ‘upbeat’ or ‘ happy.’

This is Jake Gyllenhaal’s show and he proves to be up to the task, deftly moving through a range of emotions that includes confusion, anger, desperation and determination. His insistence on saving everyone and doing what’s right feel sincere and honest. One scene where he tearfully calls his father is extremely well-done. The rest of the cast play essential, if secondary, roles. Gyllenhaal has some cute chemistry with Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga, in what could’ve been a paycheck role, is forced to grapple with her moral convictions as Captain Colleen Goodwin. The only disappointment is Jeffrey Wright, who exhibits little personality as the creator of the Source Code.

Released on April 1, 2011, “Source Code” has received overwhelmingly positive reviews with 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. So far, it is one of the few best reviewed films of the year. Critics praised Jones for ‘finding the human story amidst the action…[to] craft a smart, satisfying sci-fi thriller.’ Competing against the animated flick “Hop” and James Wan’s “Insidious,” the film had a rather ho-hum debut at the box office, coming in at #2 with $14 million. With a current worldwide gross of $43 million against an estimated $32 million production budget, it’s poised to be at least a modest success. Despite repeated attempts, Gyllenhaal has never had a film that opened big with the exception of Roland Emmerich’s “The Day After Tomorrow” in 2004. The main plot of “Source Code” is rather conventional, but it’s the smart use of its ideas that make the film such a breath of fresh air without thumbing itself down. The ending is weak but for much of its ninety minute running time, it remains a taut thrill ride.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

“What would you do if you knew you only had one minute to live?”

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Scream Blu-Ray Review

Rated R (Strong Graphic Horror Violence and Gore, and for Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 51 Minutes

Cast:
Neve Campbell-Sidney Prescott
Courteney Cox-Gale Weathers
David Arquette-Deputy Dwight ‘Dewey’ Riley
Rose McGowan-Tatum Riley
Skeet Ulrich-Billy Loomis
Matthew Lillard-Stuart ‘Stu’ Macher
Jamie Kennedy-Randy Meeks
Drew Barrymore-Casey Becker
Henry Winkler-Principal Arthur Himbry
W. Earl Brown-Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Jones
Lawrence Hecht-Neil Prescott
Joseph Whipp-Sheriff Burke
Roger L. Jackson (voice)-Ghostface

Directed by Wes Craven

‘What’s your favorite scary movie?’ With one line, another iconic horror franchise was born in 1996. With Scream 4 already in theaters, now is the perfect time to take a trip down memory lane with the original Scream, finally available on Blu-Ray. Back in the mid-1990’s, horror, particularly the slasher sub-genre, was in a bit of a rut as it suffered from a glut of sequels with severely diminishing returns and adherence to a formula that had grown stale, predictable, and clichéd. Famed horror director Wes Craven released New Nightmare in 1994, the seventh entry in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series. What was unique about this installment was that it depicted Freddy Krueger as a fictional movie villain who invades the real world, attacking the cast and crew that made his films. In a sense, it was a movie-within-a-movie. Craven would take this idea even further with Scream, a film that didn’t stray too far from the formula. What made it fresh and exciting was that it openly mocked and parodied the very horror conventions it adhered to. Even after 15 years, Scream remains a suspenseful and funny horror classic.

Scream opens with a lengthy prologue as high school student Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) is home alone when she receives a phone call. Initially brushing it off as someone dialing the wrong number, the situation soon escalates to the point where the man on the other line threatens to kill her unless she plays a game involving horror movie trivia. Casey gets the answers wrong and she and her boyfriend are promptly stabbed to death by a dark-robed man wearing a ghost-like mask. The next day, the small town of Woodsboro is thrown into a panic as the news media sensationalizes the double murders while the police struggle to investigate. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) was a classmate of Casey’s and is currently going through a personal crisis as the one-year anniversary of her mother’s rape and murder draws close. When her father leaves on a business trip, Sidney receives a strange phone call and is attacked by the masked killer. Circumstantial evidence points to her boyfriend, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), but he is soon cleared of all charges and released. It becomes apparent that the killer, dubbed ‘Ghostface,’ is targeting Sidney and will stop at nothing to end her life.

Scream has just the right blend of horror and comedy. The opening prologue pays homage to Halloween, and Craven isn’t afraid to poke fun at himself, with Casey remarking that the first A Nightmare on Elm Street” was good but ‘the rest sucked.’ The film openly makes fun of the formulaic elements in slasher films even as it follows and embraces them, giving it a sort of ironic, breaking-the-fourth-wall kind of feel, as the characters are aware that what they’re experiencing can only exist in a horror movie. In addition, there’s a bit of ironic social commentary on whether violent films can produce violent individuals. At one point, Sidney’s friend Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan) comments that ‘you’re starting to sound like some Wes Carpenter flick or something,’ with the name being a hybrid of Wes Craven and John Carpenter. Numerous films are referenced that range from Psycho and Basic Instinct to exploitation flicks like I Spit on Your Grave. Even nudity in horror films is mocked as during a party, Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) repeatedly says, ‘I wanna see breasts. I wanna see Jamie Lee’s breasts. When do we see Jamie Lee’s breasts?’ while watching Halloween and it humorously cuts to Campbell about to remove her bra (although nothing is shown). In fact, the entire third act takes place while this film is playing on a television. While a classmate of Sidney’s, Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy), is watching Michael Myers sneak up on Jamie Lee’s character from behind, we also see Ghostface behind him, going for the kill, all the while screaming to ‘look behind you!’ An interesting tidbit was that the original title was Scary Movie, which ironically became a real film that parodied and satirized other horror films. Although there are a few ‘Boo!’ moments, Scream isn’t particularly scary and while there is gore, the camera never lingers on it. Initially, the film had trouble getting through the MPAA, forcing Craven to repeatedly make cuts and it wasn’t until a personal phone call from Bob Weinstein that it was granted an R-rating. The sooner we get rid of this hypocritical, censoring establishment, the better. The cat-and-mouse chase scenes are suspenseful, accompanied by an appropriate score by Marco Beltrami. The only other gripe I have is that the ending goes on for a little too long.

The cast is a mixture of recognizable and fresh faces. The most well known at the time was Drew Barrymore, who was initially set to play Sidney. Due to other commitments, she was forced to abandon her role and opt for a minor character. Neve Campbell replaced her and was well-known as Julia Salinger on the low-rated, but critically acclaimed television series Party of Five. Her Sidney is a well-developed character and, because of her experiences, is a lot tougher than most horror movie heroines. Courteney Cox, famous as Monica Geller on Friends, is tabloid news reporter Gale Weathers, representing the media’s apathy toward victims and the need to sensationalize for ratings. However, Cox is never convincing playing a total bitch. David Arquette is Dewey Riley, Woodsboro’s kind, yet dopey and inept, deputy sheriff. The rest of the cast includes Rose McGowan as the big-breasted, blond bimbo, and Skeet Ulrich and Matthew Lillard as Sidney and Tatum’s boyfriends.

Scream arrived on Blu-Ray two weeks before the release of Scream 4 and the results are above average. The picture has a bit of a grainy feel, but colors are vibrant and blacks are solid. There are some minor issues like edge enhancement and a shimmer effect in outdoor scenes and on clothes, but it does not detract from the image. Audio fares better as the score packs a punch and ambient noise gives it an immersive feel. Dialogue can be a little on the low side though. The special features are ported from the DVD and are pretty bare and presented in standard definition. The only significant and interesting feature is the audio commentary between Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson.

Scream was released on December 20, 1996, an atypical date for a horror film. Reception was positive as it currently holds an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes with critics praising its mixture of ‘bone chilling suspense and witty dialogues.’ The film became a surprise box office hit as it grossed a total of $173 million worldwide against a paltry $14 million production budget. Ghostface immediately became a horror icon and joined the upper echelon that includes Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger. While it may not reinvent the wheel, Scream remains a witty, clever, and intelligent horror film, something that has become a bit of a rarity for the genre it so gleefully lampoons.

Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5

“Now Sid, don’t you blame the movies, movies don’t create psychos, movies make psychos more creative!”

Scream 2 Blu-Ray Review

Rated R (Language and Strong Bloody Violence)

Running Time: 2 Hours

Cast:
Neve Campbell-Sidney Prescott
Courteney Cox-Gale Weathers
David Arquette-Dwight ‘Dewey’ Riley
Jamie Kennedy-Randy Meeks
Jerry O’Connell-Derek Feldman
Elise Neal-Hallie McDaniel
Timothy Olyphant-Mickey Altieri
Sarah Michelle Gellar-Casey ‘Cici’ Cooper
Liev Schreiber-Cotton Weary
Duane Martin-Joel Jones
Laurie Metcalf-Debbie Salt
Jada Pinkett-Maureen Evans
Omar Epps-Phil Stevens
Portia de Rossi-Sorority Sister Murphy
Rebecca Gayheart-Sorority Sister Lois
Lewis Arquette-Chief Lewis Hartley

Directed by Wes Craven

‘There has to be a sequel!’ People live, people die, but sequels are forever (like diamonds!) and no other genre is as notorious with long running franchises as much as horror, where every last penny has to be squeezed out of the movie-going audience. Just look at A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, with seven and ten installments, respectively. Sometimes, they survive through direct-to-video releases such as Hellraiser. After number four, Hellraiser: Bloodline, the remaining five all went direct-to-video as low-budget fare. Just last year, Saw ended at number seven as box office earnings slowly dropped after Saw III. As is the tradition, 1996’s Scream earned a sequel and was released exactly a year later. While it’s not as fresh, Scream 2 is directed with impeccable confidence and polish by Wes Craven and manages to defy the inferior sequel-curse that has plagued other horror franchises.

It has been two years since the masked killer dubbed ‘Ghostface’ terrorized the small town of Woodsboro. Survivor Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is now attending Windsor College along with Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy). The events of Woodsboro have been turned into horror film known as “Stab,” based upon the book by tabloid reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox). A young couple, Phil Stevens (Omar Epps) and Maureen Evans (Jada Pinkett) are attending a free screening, but both are brutally stabbed to death. The media, including Gale, descend onto Windsor College in a frenzy and adding to the confusion is the arrival of Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), the man Sidney accused of raping and murdering her mother, now proved innocent and a free man. He is here looking to do an exclusive interview with Sidney. Former deputy sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette) arrives at the college to look after Sidney. It soon becomes apparent that there is now a copycat Ghostface running amok on campus as the bodies begin piling and once again, Sidney is the target.

Scream 2 does not deviate from the formula of the original film and continues to poke fun at horror movie clichés, this time relating to sequels. With Kevin Williamson returning as writer, the dialogue remains witty and sharp with its self-referential awareness. The opening prologue shows the movie-within-a-movie “Stab” and the couple played by Epps and Pinkett make a few jabs about how it’s always ‘about some dumb-ass white girls getting their white asses cut the f*ck up.’ Gale’s new cameraman Joel Jones (Duane Martin) humorously comments that ‘brothers don’t last long in situations like this,’ referring to how the first to die always happens to be the black person or some other minority. During a lively discussion in a film class, Randy yells that ‘by definition alone, sequels are inferior films!’ While that is certainly true for the majority, there have been several sequels that went on to surpass the originals such as Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day or The Empire Strikes Back. Alas, Scream 2 does not surpass Scream and part of the reason is the familiarity with the original film’s formula. Also touched upon is whether there’s a correlation between real-world violence and what we see in the movies. Of course there is none, but that hasn’t stopped hack psychologists from suggesting there’s a link between violent behavior and video games or other media. Craven manages to keep the suspense and mystery elements compelling and just when we believe we’ve got it all figured out, he throws a wrench in the proceedings with a twist. I like the fact that the film begins in a movie theater and ends in a college theater, coming full circle. Besides being a little more predictable, Scream 2 also tends to drag by the second hour with a protracted ending. These are minor issues and despite its rushed production schedule and going through numerous rewrites due to a leaked script, the film remains every bit as good as the original.

The three principal characters, played by Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette, from the first film return. The great thing about Scream is that time is taken to develop and make you actually care about what happens to these characters. The potential victim list has been expanded and includes Jerry O’Connell as Sidney’s new boyfriend, and playing her two friends are Timothy Olyphant (the future Mr. 47) and Elise Neal. Like the ‘red shirts’ in Star Trek, horror fanatics will have a field day trying to guess who will be next to fall under Ghostface’s knife.

Scream 2 on Blu-Ray suffers from the same issues as the original. While detail remains sharp, especially in close-ups, edge enhancement and a shimmering effect once again are evident. Certain scenes also appear noticeably soft or blurred. Audio feels a lot louder, especially during the chaotic climax. Small ambient noises, such as a creaking floor, are handled well, as is the dialogue. Special features are once again ported from the DVD. The audio commentary between Craven, producer Marianne Maddelena and Editor Patrick Lussier focuses more on the technical aspect of the making of the sequel.

Like the original, Scream 2 opened during the holiday season on December 12, 1997 to positive reviews. It currently holds an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes with some critics even finding it ‘scarier and funnier than the original.’ Box office wise, the sequel did very well but made about the same amount compared to the first Scream with $172 million. Scream 2 is one of those rare horror sequels that manages to live up to the original although, by this point, it’s hard to see the whole satirical, self-referential angle remaining fresh in the inevitable Scream 3. Hopefully the third film won’t become the very thing it mocks in this one.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

“It’s a perfect example of life imitating art imitating life.”

Scream 3 Blu-Ray Review

Rated R (Strong Horror Violence and Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 56 Minutes

Cast:
Neve Campbell-Sidney Prescott
Courteney Cox Arquette-Gale Weathers
David Arquette-Dwight ‘Dewey’ Riley
Patrick Dempsey-Detective Mark Kincaid
Parker Posey-Jennifer Jolie
Jenny McCarthy-Sarah Darling
Emily Mortimer-Angelina Tyler
Deon Richmond-Tyson Fox
Matt Keeslar-Tom Prinze
Scott Foley-Roman Bridger
Liev Schreiber-Cotton Weary
Kelly Rutherford-Christine Hamilton
Lance Henriksen-John Milton
Patrick Warburton-Steven Stone
Carrie Fisher-Bianca Burnette
Heather Matarazzo-Martha Meeks
Kevin Smith-Silent Bob
Jason Mewes-Jay
Roger L. Jackson (voice)-Ghostface

Directed by Wes Craven

Is the third time the charm? For a myriad of reasons, film franchises fail to keep up the momentum by the time part three comes around and if this is the finale, it goes out with a whimper instead of a bang. There are some rare exceptions such as The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, but this is due to the fact that they’re based on well-written source material. When Scream was released in 1996, it was fresh and exciting but most of all, funny. It lampooned the tired clichés of the slasher subgenre even as it embraced them. The sequel was almost as good as the first, if a little predictable. Scream 3 is more of the same and has unfortunately become the very thing the previous two films mocked. Yet while the formula has become old and the satire not as sharp, this third entry still manages to be somewhat fun and wraps things up nicely… or does it?

After the terrifying events of Woodsboro and Windsor College at the hands of the killer known as ‘Ghostface,’ Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) now lives in seclusion, her location known only to her father and her close friend, Dwight ‘Dewey’ Riley (David Arquette). Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox Arquette) has become a successful journalist thanks to her books based on the murders and the “Stab” films, with the third part in production at Hollywood. Dewey serves as the film’s technical advisor. Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber) is now a successful and controversial talk show host but while driving home one night, an unknown man calls him and threatens his girlfriend, demanding to know where Sidney is hiding. Cotton rushes home where he and his girlfriend are stabbed to death. Ghostface has returned. The Los Angeles Police Department, led by Detective Mark Kincaid (Patrick Dempsey), finds a picture of a young Maureen Prescott, Sidney’s deceased mother, at the crime scene and brings in Gale to assist. Ghostface discovers Sidney’s home number and makes his presence known, forcing her out of hiding. She is reunited with Dewey and Gale, and is forced to confront her and her mother’s dark past.

Scream 3 is not as bad as most people make it out to be and actually avoids the fate that befalls most third entries. That being said, it is the worst out of the bunch as what was new has simply become formulaic. Ghostface returns, kills a couple of inconsequential people, Sidney confronts him/her, Ghostface reveals his or her identity, explains his or her motivation and grand plan but then is promptly killed with a bullet to the head. I actually haven’t spoiled anything at all! Characters also seem to get separated in numerous contrived ways and even a dead character from the previous film returns through the magic of a video recording. Despite being the centerpiece of the Scream franchise, Neve Campbell’s screen-time as Sidney has been greatly reduced. She spends the first hour in hiding, goes through the motions in a chase scene and hides again at a police station during the second hour, before finally confronting Ghostface in the climax. The rest of the film focuses on Dewey and Gale, with a couple of hangers-on whom we’re waiting to be ‘offed’. Ehren Kruger replaces Kevin Williamson as writer due to his commitments to the short-lived television series Wasteland (cancelled after three episodes) and as a result the self-aware satire isn’t as sharp. There are still some funny scenes, including cameos from Jay and Silent Bob, and Carrie Fisher. Most of the laughs come from the characters interacting with the actors and actresses playing them on the set of “Stab 3.” There’s also an effective nightmare scene where Sidney encounters her dead mother. The ending, while it certainly goes for broke, seems too farfetched to be plausible and feels like Kruger simply ran out of ideas.

Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette return and go through the usual running around-and-screaming motions. I must say, for a bumbling fool, Dewey is insanely lucky. The rest of the cast includes the prerequisite victims including Parker Posey, Jenny McCarthy, Emily Mortimer and Deon Richmond. You know they’re going to die so the only real guessing game is in what order they’ll bite the dust. Posey is actually hilarious in her role as ‘Jennifer Jolie,’ her name a hybrid of Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie. I actually wanted her to survive. I guess Patrick Dempsey can’t be killed because he’s the good-looking guy. Lance Henriksen also has a small role as an amoral film producer named John Milton, an unsubtle reference to the author and poet of the same name of Paradise Lost fame.

Scream 3 on Blu-Ray is the sharpest looking of the bunch although it still suffers from some minor shimmering and edge enhancement, mainly in outdoor scenes. Audio is also the strongest and just as loud as Scream 2; just listen to the prologue as Cotton races home. Of course during jump scenes, the volume takes a big leap to rouse us to attention. Again, the special features are ported from the DVD with the usual deleted scenes and outtakes. The audio commentary has Craven, producer Marianne Maddelena and Editor Patrick Lussier returning for another technical chat. An alternative ending is also included.

In a change of pace, Scream 3 was released on February 4, 2000, three years after the last film. In fact, Craven only agreed to direct when Miramax let him helm the drama film Music of the Heart, which partially explains the lackluster, been-there, done-that feel. His heart just wasn’t in it. While it made less money, it was still a box office success with $162 million worldwide but reception was largely negative, with 37% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics found that ‘despite some surprising twists, the movie seems to have lost its freshness and originality by falling back on the old horror formulas and clichés.’ Scream 3 has its moments and there is still fun to be had, but the whole horror parody shtick has worn out its welcome. Of course, while this should have been the end, nothing in horror ever stays dead… but that is a story for another day.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

“You’re not going anywhere, Sidney; it’s time you came to terms with me, and with mother. Maybe you never knew her at all Sidney… maybe you just can’t get past the surface of things!”

• Poster
• Film Info

Rated R (Strong Bloody Violence, Language and some Teen Drinking)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 51 Minutes

Cast:
Neve Campbell-Sidney Prescott
Courteney Cox-Gale Weathers-Riley
David Arquette-Sheriff Dwight ‘Dewey’ Riley
Emma Roberts-Jill Roberts
Hayden Panettiere-Kirby Reed
Rory Culkin-Charlie Walker
Erik Knudsen-Robbie Mercer
Marielle Jaffe-Olivia Morris
Nico Tortorella-Trevor Sheldon
Alison Brie-Rebecca Walters
Mary McDonnell-Kate Roberts
Marley Shelton-Deputy Judy Hicks
Anthony Anderson-Deputy Anthony Perkins
Adam Brody-Deputy Ross Hoss
Aimee Teegarden-Jenny Randall
Brittany Robertson-Marnie Cooper
Lucy Hale-Sherrie
Shenae Grimes-Trudie
Anna Paquin-Rachel
Kristen Bell-Chloe
Roger L. Jackson (voice)-Ghostface

Directed by Wes Craven

Wow, has it been that long? Eleven years after the release of “Scream 3,” director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson team-up once more to revitalize a franchise that had long since worn out its welcome with “Scream 4.” When the original “Scream” was released fifteen years ago in 1996, it was a breath of fresh air for the slasher subgenre, which had so mired itself in formulaic plots and never-ending sequels. “Scream” embraced these clichés with a wink-and-a-nod, thrilling audiences with jump scares and chases even as it lampooned its own genre. Craven kept up the momentum with the sequel, but by the time “Scream 3” rolled into theaters in 2000, the whole affair just felt tired as it had fallen victim to the very thing the series had gleefully mocked. So when a fourth film was announced in mid-2008, fans met the news with skepticism. Craven’s recent work left much to be desired (with the exception of 2005’s “Red Eye”) and his much-touted return to horror with last year’s “My Soul to Take” in disastrous 3D was met with universal negative reviews and was a major flop at the box office with only $21 million worldwide. Reviving a decade-old series reeked of desperation but fortunately, Craven has brought his A-game. “Scream 4” lacks the freshness of the original (it is number four after all) but it offers enough of a mixture of old and new, plus a few twists in-between, to make it a worthy addition of the franchise.

“Scream 4” opens with a rather clever prologue before we return to the small town of Woodsboro ten years after the events of the third film, where the original murders have now become the stuff of legend. Dwight ‘Dewey’ Riley (David Arquette) is now the town sheriff, happily married to former tabloid news reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox). Sole survivor Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has returned to her hometown promoting her new self-help book Out of Darkness, which chronicles her ordeal about the killings and how she overcame them. Two students of Woodsboro High School are bloodily stabbed to death upon Sidney’s return and she is prevented from leaving until the investigation is over because of circumstantial evidence found in her rent-a-car. In the meantime, she is given a place to stay by her aunt, Kate Roberts (Mary McDonnell) and cousin, Jill (Emma Roberts). The killings begin to escalate and it soon becomes harder to ignore the truth: Ghostface has returned to terrorize Woodsboro once more.

As expected, “Scream 4” does not stray too far from the formula established by its predecessors, which is disappointing as it squanders an opportunity to shake things up. Fortunately, the series’ trademark self-parody has remained intact as it wastes no time in mocking the current trends in horror, from the popularity of the torture porn subgenre to Hollywood’s obsession with reboots and remakes. In fact, that is the main crux to “Scream 4”, as the characters come to the realization that the killer is concerned with doing a real-life ‘remake’ of the events in the original film. I won’t reveal more, but the film ends with a clever truism on how remakes never exceed that of the originals. Like the first two films, there’s some nice social commentary thrown in and it’s about our current generation’s narcissistic obsession with the media and fame, creating a much more cynical film. The killer actually records the murders in the hopes of creating a snuff film. It feels relevant given the amount of attention certain celebrities receive when they have done absolutely nothing to deserve it…but I digress. The film has a bit of a disjointed feel as it has to juggle two sets of main characters. Much of the focus is on the new, younger cast while the original cast is pushed into more of a supporting role. The gore has also been amped up to compete with films like “Saw” and we’re treated to grisly stabbings and even one where the victim’s intestines are hanging out with an abundance of blood covering the walls. The series was never particularly scary to begin with and “Scream 4” continues this trend, but the cat-and-mouse chase scenes are polished to maximum effect and crackle with energy thanks to Marco Beltrami, who returns to scoring duties.

The acting is good with a few standouts, but nothing to write home about. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette slip into their old roles easily as if no time had passed at all and while it’s great seeing them all back together, their characters don’t have much to do. Well, Cox’s Gale Weathers does try to get back into her journalism groove by ‘going rogue’, but it is clear that Craven favors the new cast to carry the film. All of them are actually playing analogues to the original cast and it fits in with the film’s remake angle. Emma Roberts is fine as Jill, but much of the sharp dialogue is provided by Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, and Erik Knudsen with their gleeful horror movie references. You’re actually unsure whether if they’ll even bite the dust as Craven goes to great lengths to flesh these characters out.

“Scream 4” was released into theaters on April 15, 2011 to mixed reviews with 57% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics agreed that it was ‘undeniably an improvement over its predecessor, with just enough meta-humor and clever kills’ but found the franchise showing its age and bringing nothing overtly new to the table. However, the film disappointed at the box office with its $18 million debut, coming in at #2 and far behind the animated flick “Rio.” Of course, we do have to take into account that this has been a down year for movies, with the only successes being animated or family films. So far it has made $69 million worldwide so I’m not sure if we’ll see a “Scream 5” given the lukewarm response from moviegoers. My advice is to stop here before its reputation becomes tarnished as this one ends on a strong note. “Scream 4” is a fun ride, an improvement over the last film since Craven is actually putting in the effort and not going through the motions, but there’s only so much he can do. While there are some nice twists and the satirical elements combined with Williamson’s snappy dialogue are funny, the formula remains unchanged and that’s a shame given its boastful tagline. It’s a worthy sequel but mostly same-old, same-old.

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5

“You forgot the first rule of remakes: DON’T F*CK WITH THE ORIGINAL!”

Check Out the Trailer:

Some of you may be wondering what I mean by the “fall” of Rapidshare. Obviously the website is still up and running, and the Alexa traffic stats still show it in the top100 of all global sites (rank 100 as of the writing of this article), so how exactly has it fallen? Rapidshare’s traffic has been on a steady decline for the last two years. Daily reach stats were at 4% in 2009, now they have fallen below an anemic 1 share, and are still falling. To put it in simple terms, Rapidshare was at a global traffic rank of 17 less than 2 years ago, and has been on a steady nosedive since then. Their restructuring has not had any marked impact on their numbers, and realistically there is not much that can be done to save the ailing service.

(here’s an example of how their traffic is steadily plummeting)

Remember when Facebook was the new, big craze and Myspace got pushed out of the picture? Rapidshare is the Myspace of this new decade, its days are numbered. There are a number of factors that must be taken into account when considering the decline of Rapidshare. The one-click file hosting market has been inundated with competitors. Megaupload, Fileserve, Hotfile, Filesonic, Mediafire, and hundreds of other sites are now fighting tooth and nail in the niche that Rapidshare itself created. How long can any filehosting site stay afloat? New laws are being passed that will restrict their tenuous holds on legality, and it’s not unrealistic to think that 50% or more of these sites will not be running in the next three to five years.

Rapidshare has a history of legal troubles that have contributed, in no small way, to their current state. Legal restrictions bred new programs, policies, and standards that hindered user growth and loyalty. 2007 brought the first major legal action against Rapidshare in which GEMA (A German Collection Agency) accused Rapidshare of “using copyright protected works of GEMA members in an unlawful fashion.” The result of this suit was increased awareness of Rapidshare’s practices, and caused Rapidshare to implement a system in which all newly uploaded files would be checked against an MD5-hash base to determine whether the uploaded file was blacklisted (illegal or copyright).

Legal issues continued to plague Rapidshare, and in April 2009 Rapidshare handed over member information, IP addresses, and other personal and sensitive information. This information was passed to major record labels, not the government. The catalyst for this action was the early release of Metallica’s Death Magnetic album.

Rapidshare entered damage-control mode in May 2009, stating that they had no intent to spy on files that their clients (the uploaders) uploaded through their service. In the span of a month Rapidshare went from handing over information on their uploaders, to promising never to do so again.

To be fair, let’s take a look at some of Rapidshare’s legal victories. In a 2009-2010 case, ATARI USA vs. Rapidshare AG, a German High Court judge declared that there was no burden of proof to support the fact that Rapidshare is primarily intended for illegal use. This verdict was made after Rapidshare appealed the original decision, and is now binding. The judge further stated that to assume the service was intended or used only for a medium of transporting illegal content was an impossible statement to prove, and was an unfounded claim against Rapidshare, its users, and one-click file hosters as a whole.

Rapidshare also won a similar case against an undisclosed pornographic magazine. The case, which took place in the District of Columbia, was thrown out after the presiding judge determined the plaintiff could make no credible or substantiated claim of direct or continual infringement.

So how can we interpret this? Well, the numbers don’t lie. Rapidshare’s restructuring, their new Rapids system, their high profile legal troubles, the fact that they handed over user information, and so many other factors have contributed to their sharp decline. They are on shaky ground at best, and their future may very well hang in the balance of decisions they make over the next few months.

Rapidshare is at a crossroads of sorts. To continue on their current path would disallow all copyright or illegal content, and would banish the people who upload it. To embrace piracy would be to embrace further legal issues. It’s an impossible choice; to lose piracy they lose money and status, that’s undeniable. The future will only tell what direction they will take, we will just have to wait and see.

So now that the gloom and doom is over with, let me give a bit of credit to Rapidshare. The entire concept of One-Click hosting was pioneered by Rapidshare. Under the guise of Ezshare, the founder of Rapidshare, Christian Schmid, discovered an untapped niche with unlimited potential. Christian found a marketplace ripe for exposure and growth, and created a service that is used by millions which has spawned hundreds, if not thousands, of copycat sites. The idea was innocent enough at the time; give users a way to send files that were too large to email to people who had the direct link to the file. In October of 2006 the first filehosting site was born, and the Internet hasn’t looked back. Services such as Usenet, Shareaza, and of course Torrent sites, were around before Rapidshare, but the one-click concept was indeed pioneered by Rapidshare, and revolutionized the Warez world.

Note- Megaupload was established in 2005, but there is no significant information that they had any substantial operation before Rapidshare. It is also interesting to note that the robots.txt file in use by Megaupload.com has one, specific, block…archive.org – interesting.

The fall of Rapidshare is important to the Warez community and filesharing sites, as a whole. How long can these operations stand up against mounting legal pressure? What measures can they take to remain legal while not peeking at every file we upload? How safe is your information with these services? Every site has a Terms of Service agreement that states they will comply with the laws of the land and will respond to any appearance of infringement, but how far will they take those actions?

Think about this- if Rapidshare could give away user information to major record labels once, what would stop them or any file host, from doing this again? At the end of the day you are nothing but a line in a ledger, or a dollar in the pocket, of these companies, end of story.

So, let’s think of some ways to keep you safe if it’s your desire to stay on this precarious path.

VPN services are a great way to stay safe, protect your physical location, and allow you to maintain a modicum of security while browsing the internet or even uploading. VPNs are not foolproof, but they are a great first step. Essentially a VPN is a secure method of connecting to a Private Virtual Network at a remote location. The end location is encrypted so your insecure packets would pass through their level of encryption, which disallows users without access to read the private packets of information. VPNs are typically used by companies with workers in remote locations to transmit private data in a secure fashion. VPNs use a method of transferring data using secure cryptographic methods between at least two networked devices which are NOT on the same private network. This method keeps the data completely private as it passes through the various nodes of your local and wide networks.

The second method would be to simply not upload or download. Obviously this is not ideal to some people, so you can choose to continue down your current path and hope to blend in with the mass of others doing the same thing. Typically downloading is less risky than uploading, but there is always a risk. One of the biggest mistakes a wannabe downloader can make is to use a public torrent site such as The Pirate Bay, ISOhunt, Fenopy, and others. So called “private” torrent sites are said to be more secure, but this is not always the case. Demonoid is a “private” torrent site, but has such a large userbase that the fact they are “private” is moot. Furthermore, Demonoid is now in the process of migrating all information to a .me domain, as a result of COICA (Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act) which could, in essence, allow the United States government to take control of the .com, .org, and, .net TLD (top-level domain) names.

Torrent sites are under attack on quite a few fronts. Let’s look at some recent closures and seizures:

On 1/13/2011 Empornium and PureTNA went permanently offline. TorrentFreak broke the story and confirmed with both site owners that they would not be coming back online. The owners refused to comment about the specifics but one, by the name of Breeze, stated that such is torrent life.

On 4/28/2011 in Russia the torrent site Pornolab.net, which (after the takedown of the two larger porn trackers) was arguably the largest porn tracker in the world, had their servers seized by police. It’s important to note that while the site was Russian, the servers were located in the Ukraine.

There are many Non-Adult trackers that have been shut down as well; however, the Adult trackers listed above are most recent.

So, where do we go from here? That’s for you to decide. You can either stick with the status quo or wait for your turn to come, you can join a pirate party in the hopes of changing your local laws regarding new technology and the legality of certain downloads, or you can back away from downloading and uploading; what other choice do we have?

I’ll leave you with a quote by Anne Baxter – “It’s best to have failure early in life. It wakes up the phoenix bird in you so you can rise from the ashes.” The World Wide Web is in its infancy; we have yet to see its full potential. Even if our current systems fail, we can rise from the ashes and promote change for the future.

• Poster
• Film Info

Rated PG-13 (Violence and Creature Terror, and some Sensuality)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 40 Minutes

Cast:
Amanda Seyfried-Valerie
Gary Oldman-Father Soloman
Shiloh Fernandez-Peter
Max Irons-Henry Lazar
Billy Burke-Cesaire
Virginia Madsen-Suzette
Julie Christie-Valerie’s Grandmother
Lukas Haas-Father Auguste
Shauna Kain-Roxanne
Kacey Rohl-Prudence
Carmen Lavigne-Rose
Cole Heppell-Claude
Michael Shanks-Adrien Lazar
Christine Willes-Madame Lazar
Michael Hogan-The Reeve
Adrian Holmes-The Captain

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke

Instead of original ideas, Hollywood often makes adaptations of existing properties to minimize financial risk. As “Twilight” is currently the hottest property, we now have “Red Riding Hood,” a loose re-telling of the famous fairy tale collected in the works of the Brothers Grimm, packaged to appeal to thirteen year old girls. They even brought in Catherine Hardwicke, who made the first “Twilight,” to direct. “Red Riding Hood” blends a teen romance with classic horror, and while there are some interesting concepts at work, the effort to appeal to its gullible target audience undermines the film.

The snowy medieval village of Daggerhorn has been plagued by The Wolf for as long as its residents can remember, and to placate the beast, an animal sacrifice is made under every full moon. Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) is a young woman living in the village with her parents, Cesaire (Billy Burke) and Suzette (Virginia Madsen), and is betrothed to the son of a wealthy blacksmith, Henry (Max Irons). She, however, feels no love for him, as her heart belongs to her childhood friend, a poor woodcutter named Peter (Shiloh Fernandez). Valerie and Peter plan to run away together, but their plans are interrupted when the townspeople discover her older sister Lucy has been murdered by The Wolf. Henry, his father Adrian, Peter, Cesaire, and several men go off into the woods to hunt the beast and manage to behead it; Adrian is killed in the process. The local priest, Father Auguste (Lucas Haas), summons a hunter, Father Soloman (Gary Oldman), who reveals that they killed an ordinary wolf and that their town is plagued by a werewolf. Since a werewolf is human by day, he warns that the culprit can be anyone. As the full moon is red for the next three days, a bite from the werewolf will transfer the curse. Daggerhorn is thrown into a state of panic as Valerie discovers that The Wolf is after her’ so she races against time to uncover the beast’s true identity.

The comparisons between “Twilight” and “Red Riding Hood” are inevitable and the two are stylistically very similar. The current, popular version of Little Red Riding Hood is the one recorded in the works of the Brothers Grimm. However, the origins of the tale date back to as early as the 14th century, with the first printed version appearing in 1697 in a collection of tales from Charles Perrault. There are numerous interpretations of Little Red Riding Hood, the most common being a simple morality/cautionary tale to being an allegory for sexual awakening. Hardwicke and writer David Leslie Johnson have kept the general framework of the fairy tale, but rework it to be both a teen romance and a horror monster movie. Despite the potential of its premise, the film does not do a good job in meshing these elements organically. The romance is limp, due in part to the two male leads played by Shiloh Fernandez and Max Irons, who exhibit as much emotion as a rock. It’s clear they were chosen for their chiseled good looks than their acting ability. The dialogue between Seyfried and her male co-stars feels like something out of a bad teenage soap opera on the CW. Several scenes end up being laughably bad, such as a nightmare sequence between Valerie and her Grandmother (Julie Christie) and a sexually suggestive dance between Valerie and her friend. As a monster movie, the violence is just too tame to really appeal to anybody. There is hardly any blood whenever someone gets mauled (more like a scratch) by The Wolf, but color me surprised when I saw someone’s arm get chewed off, though it’s a blink-and-you-miss-it scene. “Red Riding Hood” is strongest when it plays up the mystery angle and the panic that grips Daggerhorn recalls the Salem Witch Trials. A number of red herrings are thrown our way, but you know how these things work: it’s never the obvious choice. Hardwicke certainly has a good eye as the film has an effective atmosphere and takes full advantage of its Canadian location with its sweeping camera. Unfortunately, that is all “Red Riding Hood” has to offer: a visually appealing film with nothing substantial or memorable underneath.

The acting is sub-par and the cast never feels like they’re living in the time period the film depicts. They look like they’re playing dress-up at the local Renaissance Fair. Compared to Kristen Stewart, Amanda Seyfried is more likable with her cute eyes in her role as Valerie, but her two male co-stars are nothing more than dead weights. At least they keep their shirts on. Shiloh Fernandez smirks and grimaces while Max Irons just stares off into space, with neither of them doing it particularly well. As Father Soloman, Gary Oldman does what is expected of a film of this type; he overacts, but doesn’t quite chew up the scenery. His character is given an interesting back-story and the film could have explored the moral grey area he inhabits, but alas, such questions aren’t fit for the movie’s intended audience. Billy Burke must enjoy being in these female teen-oriented flicks and once again plays a father, like “Twilight.” Julie Christie fits into her role as the famous Grandmother seamlessly, but Valerie’s mother, played by Virginia Madsen, ends up doing very little.

“Red Riding Hood” was released into theaters on March 11, 2011 to overwhelmingly negative reviews with 12% on Rotten Tomatoes. Although critics described Seyfried as magnetic, she is ‘let down by her uninspired leading men and a painfully clichéd script.’ The film competed with “Battle: Los Angeles” but failed to make much of an impression at the box office, coming in third place behind Johnny Depp’s animated flick “Rango” with $14 million. It has made $18 million domestically so far and will likely recoup its estimated $42 million production budget, though it will be a far cry compared to “Twilight.” As expected, much of the audience was female and skewed to 25 and younger, but I was surprised by the turnout of males. “Red Riding Hood” ends up being your typical teen fluff, and that is disappointing as the film certainly has some nice ideas, but either fails to explore them properly or ignores them in favor of convention. Still, I would rather watch this one instead of “Twilight.”

Final Rating: 2.5 out of 5

“The Wolf is coming. You’re gonna get what you deserve.”

Check Out the Trailer:

• Poster
• Film Info

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Violence and Action, Disturbing Images and Brief Strong Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 27 Minutes

Cast:
Paul Bettany-Priest
Karl Urban-Black Hat
Maggie Q-Priestess
Cam Gigandet-Sheriff Hicks
Lily Collins-Lucy Pace
Christopher Plummer-Monsignor Orelas
Stephen Moyer-Owen Pace
Mädchen Amick-Shannon Pace
Brad Dourif-The Salesman

Directed by Scott Charles Stewart

You know, when a film changes release dates three times, that’s not usually a good sign. Ever since Paul Bettany portrayed an albino monk who practiced severe corporal mortification in 2006’s The Da Vinci Code, based upon Dan Brown’s 2003 best-selling novel of the same, he’s been on something of a religion-themed film binge. Last January, Bettany played the archangel Michael in Scott Stewart’s Legion and reteams with Stewart for this summer’s Priest, a film loosely (and I emphasize this word) based upon the South Korean comic book series of the same name created by Hyung Min-Woo in 1998. The series is also available in English in the U.S., courtesy of TokyoPop. While Priest features some strong visuals and a badass Bettany wrapped in a dark cloak, the film ends up being generic, derivative, and lifeless, whizzing by in a blink of an eye with its short 87 minute running time.

Through a rather gory animated prologue, we learn of an eternal war between vampires and humans, a struggle that has lasted since the dawn of time. Both races have strengths and weaknesses, but were too evenly matched to gain a winning advantage. Determined to end the vampire threat once and for all, the Church creates a sect of warriors known as Priests to turn the tide of the war. The vampire army fell and the survivors were imprisoned in large reservations. With the war over, the Church turned its back on the Priests and disbanded them, forcing them to live in a society that hates and fears them (X-Men, anyone?). One such Priest (Paul Bettany) has been suffering from nightmares of a mission gone wrong at the vampire hive Mira Soral, which led to the death of one of his companions. Returning to his sparse home, Priest is greeted by Sheriff Hicks (Cam Gigandet), who reveals that his brother Owen Pace (Stephen Moyer) is gravely wounded in a vampire attack on an outskirts town. His wife Shannon (Mädchen Amick) was killed in the attack and their daughter Lucy (Lily Collins) has been kidnapped by the vampires. Priest goes to the Church High Council, led by Monsignor Orelas (Christopher Plummer), to have his authority reinstated, but is refused and is warned that ‘an act against the Church is an act against God.’ Leaving him no choice, Priest disobeys the Church and gathering his weapons, he sets out to his brother’s home in the outskirts to investigate. Sheriff Hicks joins up with him and together they head to a nearby town, where Priest’s brother is on his deathbed. He makes him promise that he will get Lucy back and ‘kill them all.’ Learning of his insubordination, the Church High Council gathers the remaining Priests to bring back their former ally in, dead or alive. One of them, a Priestess (Maggie Q), manages to find Priest, but instead of capturing him, she decides to aid him. As the three continue on their search, they discover that a former Priest who goes by the nickname of ‘Black Hat’ (Karl Urban) is behind the kidnapping, having been turned into a unique human-vampire hybrid.

Priest is a thoroughly forgettable action film that’s so mediocre in its efforts that one wonders why Screen Gems/Sony decided to release it during the summer. With so many potential blockbusters, it’s bound to get lost in the shuffle and forgotten. I’ve never read the comic book series that it’s based on but after doing a little research online, the film bares almost no resemblance to it, as Stewart has only taken the Priest angle and the Wild West influence. In fact, there is no mention of vampires at all in the comic as it actually involves humanity’s war against twelve fallen angels. Still, whatever story Priest is trying to tell is largely inconsequential and often takes itself way too seriously. It even shamelessly sets itself up for a sequel but I can’t believe that it’d recoup its budget and make a profit to allow for one to be green-lit. Priest does well visually with a mish-mash of concepts at work, most of them unoriginal. The dilapidated, rain-drenched city recalls Blade Runner with the Church serving as Big Brother ala 1984. There are some nice touches such as when Priest goes into a booth for confession and is greeted by canned responses from a computer. The film also touches upon the Church’s authoritarian law, who uses God as an excuse to stay in power, versus one’s individual faith, but it’s all brushed aside once the action begins. Once Priest leaves the city, the film takes on a Wild West influence with a dash of steam-punk thrown in. The action will thrill thirteen-year-old boys as Priest handily slices a number of CG vampires with ease. Priestess also has a nifty action scene where she wields a rope dart during the film’s climax. The fist fight between Priest and Black Hat, which takes place on top of a speeding train, is also well-done but other than those scenes, nothing really stands out. Again, I didn’t bother with the 3D as it’s another one of those post-conversions. 3D is an amazing technology and has the power to immerse you even more into a film, but with Hollywood using it solely as a cash grab to prop up their earnings and movie-goers getting wise, it’s not doing this tech any justice at all. In fact, the current use of 3D is nothing but a waste of potential.

With such a short running time, none of the cast is really given the chance to shine. Wearing a black cloak, Paul Bettany certainly has the cool factor with his gruff delivery but that’s about it. Maggie Q has only a handful of lines and is mostly there for sex appeal. Cam Gigandet is his usual squinty and annoying self while Karl Urban tries his best Darth Vader impression with his ‘Join with me!’ dialogue. Lily Collins is the obligatory damsel-in-distress complete with a cleavage-baring dress. Christopher Plummer is also on-hand, slumming for a quick paycheck as the leader of the Church High Council.

Originally set to release last year on October 1, 2010, Priest moved earlier to August 27, 2010 but to capitalize on the 3D craze, the film was delayed until January 14, 2011. It arrived finally on May 13, 2011 as a potential summer blockbuster but I just don’t see that happening. Reviews have been negative with a low 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics found it ‘sleek and stylish, but those qualities are wasted on a dull, derivative blend of sci-fi, action, and horror clichés.’ Priest is competing with producer Judd Atapow’s latest comedy, “Bridesmaids,” which has received critical acclaim and last week’s reigning champion Thor, but going by Friday estimates, it’s taken a beating with only $5.6 million. It’d be lucky to even reach a modest weekend debut of $15 million. Everything about Priest just screams generic and while the film isn’t a total loss with its strong visuals, it’s all wrapped in a grim, humorless, and dull film. Better save that $13.00 for “Bridesmaids” instead.

Final Rating: 2 out of 5

“Remember, an act against the Church is an act against God!”

Check Out the Trailer:

Let me get one thing straight before I begin – the Pandora is NOT for everyone. Not even close. It is a specialized, niche product designed for a few certain groups. However, if you are among any of these groups – hardcore retro emulation fan, Linux-tinkerer or pocket PC lover, you will absolutely adore what the Pandora has to offer.

The Hardware

The Pandora can be compared to an overweight Nintendo DSi – it flips open to reveal its screen and keyboard, with plenty of buttons and such along the front and back of the main part of the body. Compared to an iProduct, it’s quite a relief to see all your basics here – mini USB port, full USB port, On-The-Go port, power switch, headphone jack, volume control, and two SD card slots (which provide the Pandora’s storage – more on that later).

The Pandora opens up like a DS as well, and you may be a little shocked by what you see when you open it the first time: yes, a laptop-style QWERTY keyboard, numbers, directional pad, analog nubs, X/Y/A/B buttons, and Start/Select/Pandora buttons. This thing is crammed with buttons. Ninety-five percent of the keys include a second function as well in order to include every key you could want on a keyboard. There are even shoulder buttons on the left and right sides of the base.

The screen itself is an 800×480 resistive touchscreen, just as found on a DS. You take the (included) stylus and tap at the screen, like the early days of touch. You can use your finger as well, but it’s not as accurate as one would like (for reasons that will be explained later).

Overall, the Pandora is very well built. The black matte case isn’t as shiny as the PSP or 3DS, but at least it doesn’t pick up fingerprints just by waving your hand at it. The Pandora can take a few bangs and bruises but don’t rely on that. It’s quite heavy due to its huge battery, but we’ll touch on that in a moment.

The keyboard itself takes a LITTLE time to get used to. The Pandora was small enough for me to curl my hands around it, and use my thumbs to type comfortably. The somewhat strange layout of the keyboard will be putty in your hands soon enough.

The touchscreen is more of a software predicament on how well it’s used, but the screen itself, when used with a finger, feels a little flimsy – like a slightly loose sheet of plastic is over the top of the screen. There isn’t a problem with using a stylus though.

The physical controls included along with the Pandora (the d-pad, buttons, etc.) are incredibly comfortable but are a little stiff out of the box – a bit of pushing and they’ll loosen up easily. The nubs are quite easy to use as well– more comfortable than the PlayStation Portable’s attempt. However, whenever you boot the Pandora, it may require you to play with the nubs for a little while in order for them to be configured. Unfortunately, this can’t be changed, but it’s a good way to stretch your thumbs by doing a little nub configuration dance.

Basic Usage

Know this: to use your Pandora efficiently, you will need two SD cards, and they will need to be big. For the purpose of this review, I have two 16GB SD cards, both are being used in my Pandora right now, and both have less than 250MB of free space. Sure, I had to do a couple of extra tests, but I do recommend rocking two cards. You’ll need at least one card to run any applications beyond the bare minimum though.

Pandora does not run like a typical PC in the normal sense of downloading and installing apps; the Pandora OS has its own form of packaging apps known as PNDs. PNDs are basically one-file zipped ARM-based (x86/64 is the desktop PC “architecture”, ARM is mobile based) Linux applications with specific details embedded in an XML file (which give the app a name, version, etc.). When placed in the right folder on your SD card, the Pandora will auto-detect and add them to the interface. While some hardcore Linux users may not like this approach, for low end-users it’s deceptively simple to begin with.

With the Pandora, you have two choices for your interface – a full-blown, Linux-based desktop environment (known as XFCE to you geeks out there) or a trimmed, easy to use interface called Minimenu. I’ll cover both interfaces below, starting with Minimenu.

Minimenu

Minimenu is the default menu that comes with the Pandora. All of the apps installed on your SD card(s) are auto detected when Minimenu is run, and are listed by category (with an “All apps” page for good measure). Everything is organized nicely in its interface, and the theme isn’t bad either (but the theme is customizable, so take your pick on that).

Instructions are laid out clearly on screen on what buttons to push and what not to touch. Minimenu can also be used almost entirely with the touchscreen. You can have custom categories, and rename apps and categories as well, which makes the Minimenu interface easier to organize to your whims.

However, Minimenu does have a few disadvantages. With the simplicity of Minimenu you also lose one of the biggest features of the device – multitasking. It’s impossible to run more than one app in Minimenu at a time, which means no background music while you have Mario going on an emulator, or you cannot write a document for an office meeting while using Photoshop to edit a picture.

Desktop environment (XFCE)

The only way to get the main grunt out of the Pandora is by using the XFCE desktop environment. It’s a lightweight desktop like Windows or Linux, which is fully customizable – you can have your own wallpapers, all your apps will be collated in the start menu – it’s literally and honestly a full desktop PC.

You may wonder what the D-Pad and A/B/X/Y buttons and nubs have to do while in the XFCE environment. Simple – the D-Pad moves the arrow keys, the left nub moves the mouse, moving the right nub left or right will click (!) and the A/B/X/Y buttons do Home/End/Page Up/Page Down respectively. Once you get the hang of this system, it’s remarkably easy to navigate the desktop without using the touchscreen at all!

While you gain the ability to multitask in the XFCE environment (which is very important for a pocket PC), you do lose the ability to EASILY rename and re-order your applications. You can still do it by making a specific text file in a specific location, (which I won’t go over here).

Alternatively, you can just switch back to Minimenu. You can switch between the desktop environment and Minimenu at the same time.

I would like to take the opportunity to point out a feature here that can only be accessed from the desktop environment – you can take a mini-USB to USB cable and charge your Pandora with it, or you can select a menu option in XFCE and use one of the two SD cards as a giant flash drive. It’s remarkably funny to do so.

Knicks and Knacks

Before we get down to the available software part of things, here are some general questions and answers about parts of the Pandora I haven’t covered yet.

Operating system: The Pandora runs a customized version of the Linux operating system, so there is always the chance this or that may not work properly without suggestions or help from somebody friendly. Be prepared to ask questions.

Speakers: They are remarkably good for playing music or hearing sound in a game, and you always have the headphone jack for that sort of thing too.

Bluetooth: Unfortunately, I never had the chance to test using Bluetooth, but I’m told that it’s possible to get PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii controllers working natively on the Pandora with the right software and the right amount of time.

USB port: The USB port on the back of the Pandora can only run USB 2.0 devices normally – for USB 1.1 devices you’ll need to put a hub between the Pandora and the device first. However, plugging in a USB drive which contains movies or a good, newer model keyboard/mouse will generally work right off the bat.

Microphone: Yes, the Pandora actually comes with a microphone. For some reason I couldn’t get it to work in the Pandora’s port of Audacity. This might be something for you to try.

Overclocking other operating systems: Yes, with a bit of work, you can get Debian or Arch Linux running on your Pandora (albeit with less features and functionality compared to the Pandora OS). Hardcore Linux geeks will be happy with that. For Windows users – no, no, no, you will never see Windows running on this machine, ever.

Power: The Pandora has the ability to go into a “power-saving” mode where its CPU runs at barely 125MHz, great for resuming apps on the go. However, the Pandora’s battery life is doubled while in this mode, meaning if you want to leave it overnight in that state, it probably isn’t going to happen. If you need to turn it off for longer than an hour, just shut it down via Minimenu or XFCE, it saves your battery. In addition, if you close your lid or wait a few minutes, the screen will power off automatically – good for using as an MP3 player.

Battery life: Ten hours. The Pandora, on low brightness and Wi-Fi / Bluetooth turned off, can last roughly ten hours. That is nearly quadruple the 3DS and triple the PSP’s battery life. In low-power mode you get a few more hours, and powered off you get several months (kind of obvious).

The Software – Apps and Games

The Pandora has three different websites over the internet dedicated to hosting games and programs for it. There are several hundred apps available for Pandora as you read this, with that number slowly growing.

Applications

Some of the highlights in the application department include:

· Bluefish Editor: Webpage developer.

· GIMP: Photoshop alternative.

· Inkscape: Vector image editor.

· Rockbox: Effectively turns your Pandora into a giant MP3 player.

· VLC: Multi-codec player (just do not expect it to play high-definition video).

· Chromium, Firefox, Midori, Lightweight: The Pandora has intense browser wars. What side will you choose?

· Pidgin: MSN, AIM, ICQ, take your pick.

· Transmission: Torrent client.

· XChat: IRC!

· Abiword: Document editing.

· Gnumeric: Spreadsheet editing.

There are plenty of applications to go around for the users. Moreover, if you don’t like the fact that a specific app is not available on Pandora, you can port it yourself if they offer an ARM version (or you simply have a lot of time and skill on your hands).

Games

The Pandora has hundreds of available games, both original and ported from other systems. Some of the highlights include:

· Ports of several popular desktop games, including Abuse, Doom, Theme Hospital…

· Ports of free and open source games – LinCity, FreeCol, FreeCiv, Wormux, XMoto…

· Many games you’re unlikely to find anywhere else – Super Geometry Dust (a combination of Super Stardust and Geometry Wars), Thruster (a creative get-as-high-as-you-can game where you take out obstacles with your ship’s smoke), Wars: Commando (a war-based platformer)…

The list goes on and on; this barely scratches the surface. I have well over 200 games currently on my Pandora, and the number just keeps climbing higher.

The Software – Emulation

Finally, we arrive at what the Pandora was designed for–emulation. Below is a list of the platforms I managed to emulate, to what success, and my individual opinion on said emulation.

Let it be known that I have had problems with emulation that others have not seemed to – so therefore, your mileage may vary extremely.

In alphabetical order:

Overall

The Pandora is a beast of a machine. If you’re in the target line for a pre-N64 emulator portable console, a Linux-tweakers heaven, or just a mini, fits-in-your-pocket PC to walk around with, and with the time to spare to get it working the way you want to, the OpenPandora cannot serve you wrong.

Final Score: 5/5

EDIT: BlueMaxima here, and I just want to point out a few silly mistakes I made in the review that went un-noticed by myself. Sorry!

First of all, emulation. PSX emulation didn’t work for me because I didn’t have the right plugin selected. Figured this out long after I submitted the review for editing. D’oh.

Battery life. I’m told by EvilDragon that my Pandora has some sort of malfunction on the PCB which causes it to use more power than usual. I believe this also causes N64 emulation to fail. I haven’t gotten around to sending it back. D’oh again.

And also, a few of the statements I make are wrong – it’s not four men in Britain, it’s (as quoted by WizardStan) one guy in Britain, one in Germany, one in Turkey, and one in Canada. And the Pandora uses 125mhz of power in standby mode.