General Discussion [ Page 3 ]

Happy Thanksgiving: Now Watch MST3K Turkey Day!

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and also drop the note of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Turkey Day marathon. This year the extra bonus is that they are dropping the titles of the movies they are riffing for Season 13! So far the new announced movies in Season 13 are:

Munchie, Beyond Atlantis, Robot Wars, Santo and the Treasure of Dracula & Doctor Mordrid.

There are some real gems in there and I can’t wait to see how they riff Munchie!

Disney+ Day News!

Warning! The embedded video contains spoilers for WandaVision, What If, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Black Widow and possibly others. If you're not up to date on the MCU, you might want to avoid it.

Disney+ Day revealed some awesome new shows. There's a lot involved. I've tried to hunt down trailers and such, with little luck, so I've decided to share with you a video (embedded) New Rockstars (my current favorite YouTube channel) posted. Erik covers the announcements and gives some background on the stories and characters involved.

Warning! I'm including things regarding Shang-Chi in the next paragraph. The spoilers are very minor, but I thought I'd give you... Read All Warning! The embedded video contains spoilers for WandaVision, What If, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Black Widow and possibly others. If you're not up to date on the MCU, you might want to avoid it.

Disney+ Day revealed some awesome new shows. There's a lot involved. I've tried to hunt down trailers and such, with little luck, so I've decided to share with you a video (embedded) New Rockstars (my current favorite YouTube channel) posted. Erik covers the announcements and gives some background on the stories and characters involved.

Warning! I'm including things regarding Shang-Chi in the next paragraph. The spoilers are very minor, but I thought I'd give you this warning, in case you haven't seen the movie (go see it!). If you just want to watch the spoiler-free trailer, click the next link.

The She-Hulk trailer looks really cool and she looks sexy! I don't really know anything about her. Mark Ruffalo returns as Hulk in both smart Hulk and Bruce forms. I'm confused because it seems his arm isn't damaged like it was in End Game and Shang-Chi's post-credits scene. Tim Roth returns as Abomination, though we don't see him in the trailer. He appeared in Shang-Chi though with a new look. You can check out that trailer here: https://youtu.be/PFpT5ZkuLlo

There's also a trailer for Moon Knight, which stars Oscar Isaac. I am looking forward to seeing him again. I first saw him in the latest Star Wars trilogy and then again in Dune. I really don't know anything about this character either. Apparently, Moon Knight suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Ethan Hawke is in the show, too, though not shown in the trailer. (As an aside, if you haven't seen him in the movie titled "Tesla," go see it!!) Check out the trailer here: https://youtu.be/iFUZ1wN1ugM

There are new shows titled Secret Invasion, Armor Wars, Iron Heart, Ms. Marvel, Agatha House of Harkness, Groot, Echo, and maybe more I've missed in this list. There's an animated Spider-Man show, too. There's also going to be a Guardians of the Galaxy holiday special.

One thing I'm really excited for is X-Men '97, which is a continuation of the beloved X-Men cartoon we got in the 90's with returning cast members. I really loved that cartoon! Most of what I know about Marvel (before the movies) is from that cartoon. That's probably why the X-Men are my all time favorite super hero group and Wolverine is my favorite comic book character.

Marvel Zombies is another show coming, which is probably related to the What If episode regarding the same topic. This is one I think I'll watch, but definitely not looking forward to. In fact, I wish it'd get canceled as I *hate* zombies! They're over done and in pretty much everything. Sure, they're good fodder for things to kill, but they're disgusting. Can we please get something without zombies?!

Let me know what you think about this treasure trove Marvel is giving us a taste of. I'm absolutely obsessed with the MCU these days and everything Marvel has been giving us has been fantastic! Are you planning on watching any of these shows? What are you most looking forward to?

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 11/13/2021 at 03:44am

ZOMBIES!!!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 11/13/2021 at 04:27am

Worst Marvel concept ever!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 11/13/2021 at 05:14am

lol. I am down for it.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 11/13/2021 at 05:15am

Did you see that episode of What If?

Travis Admin wrote on 11/13/2021 at 09:34pm

I loved that episode of What If honestly. Plus the comics were a good romp

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Zombies

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 11/14/2021 at 05:34am

Yeah, the what if episode was good, and the comics are fun.

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New Morbius Trailer!

There's a new trailer for the Sony/Marvel movie Morbius, which we can see in January. Morbius is what I like to think of as Marvel's Batman, however he's physically like a bat. He's a doctor with a rare blood disease and it leads him to research into vampire bats to find a cure. He ends up doing something, which gives him a bat like appearance along with bat like abilities. He can switch forms, the bat in him wants to hunt. He gets wanted by police for a "vampire murder."

There are some interesting things that stand out in the trailer. One of those is when he walks down an alley by a poster with the Toby McGuire Spider-Man. It has the word "murderer" spray painted on... Read All There's a new trailer for the Sony/Marvel movie Morbius, which we can see in January. Morbius is what I like to think of as Marvel's Batman, however he's physically like a bat. He's a doctor with a rare blood disease and it leads him to research into vampire bats to find a cure. He ends up doing something, which gives him a bat like appearance along with bat like abilities. He can switch forms, the bat in him wants to hunt. He gets wanted by police for a "vampire murder."

There are some interesting things that stand out in the trailer. One of those is when he walks down an alley by a poster with the Toby McGuire Spider-Man. It has the word "murderer" spray painted on it. Also Michael Keaton's character Vulture crosses paths with him in police custody. You may remember him in Spider-Man Homecoming. Speaking of Michael Keaton, he's returning as his original Batman in the new Flash movie. As a side note, Matt Smith appears in this movie, too. I really loved him as The Doctor, so I'm looking forward to seeing him again. He's also going to be in the new Game of Thrones prequel show.

There are many connections to the MCU/Marvel/Sony/Spider-verse. Morbius is tied to Spider-Man, so is Venom. Maybe with what's going on in No Way home, these worlds are coming together, which may explain the post-credits scene in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The Daily Bugle paper is notable as it looks like it has in the other movies. It mentions a few things which are hints to Spider-Man villains. One headline says something about a "missing rhino" at a zoo. Another asks if black cats or friend or foe. We've already seen the Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. There are many hints going on in many of these movies that the Sinister Six members are appearing.

I'd like to see this, but I've always had hemophobia, so parts of this movie disturb me. It's all the blood stuff. I tried to re-watch the Blade series recently and couldn't make it very far into the beginning of the movie before I felt like I was about to pass out. This makes me hesitant to try to watch it again, to watch this movie, or watch the new Blade move when it comes out. Morbius and Blade do meet in the comics. He gives Blade the vampiric abilities without the disadvantages.

What do you think about this? Are you planning to go watch it? This is one where I'd definitely rather watch at home.

The Strange Clan

If you follow me on Twitter, no doubt you've seen how into cryptocurrency I've gotten. But I've withheld from talking about it in Cheerful Ghost because I didn't want to look like I was pushing something like an MLM, nor am I wanting to give financial advice lol.

But, now there's a game I can share about!

The Strange Clan is a fantasy game where players have unique NFT (non-fungible token, basically a unique digital asset that's saved "to the blockchain" to prove ownership) with which they can eventually farm, quest, explore, etc.

The game is pre-alpha currently, so there's nothing to try out yet, other than buying our characters, but the world is being built on Passage... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 10/16/2021 at 12:27am

All of the minted characters!
https://market.passage3d.com/explore

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/16/2021 at 01:40am

Huh, this is really cool. Blockchain is one of those cool technologies and wrapping that into games seems cool.

What do you think about this?

https://venturebeat.com/2021/10/15/steam-reportedly-blocks-cryptocurrency-and-nft-games/

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/16/2021 at 03:59am

This looks awesome, Adam. I kind of want to mint a character, but I feel like I probably missed the window.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/16/2021 at 04:11am

Wow, just joined the discord and it sounds like the lowest cost per character will be $250 during the auction. Count me out.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 10/16/2021 at 07:56am

About Steam blocking NFT games, that makes sense, but I don't think it really matters. The Strange Clan will be browser based, so it doesn't need any platform to distribute the game.

Also, the crypto ecosystem is pretty active on social medias, so when new projects launch, there's enough chatter that a platform isn't needed to connect the game/project to users.

And yeah, this is spendy! I hope over time I'll gain my money back, but there definitely is a high bar to entry. The whitelist for the first Town has closed, but like you saw, there's a Dutch auction on Monday, and then in a month or two there will be another minting for Town 2 :)

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 10/30/2021 at 02:33am

The Strange Clan developers had an AMA today. Some really interesting things were said, and here's a summary 😎
https://whimsical-lightning-304.notion.site/10-29-Strange-Clan-AMA-7b2d1345d6314ad6bf12c66b3259bb55

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TechSpot Explains Why Using "Ultra" Settings is "Dumb"

I found this great article by TechSpot today explaining why using "Ultra" settings (or the preset) is "dumb." I have to agree, although I'm one of those gamers that wants the best hardware to be able to easily run any game on that preset. However, this is an expensive and performance demanding preference. It's not based on logic, either. I have noticed great quality in games using only the "High" preset along with great performance. I've also noticed that the "Ultra" preset doesn't usually add anything noticeable, except for the huge performance hit.

That experience is exactly what TechSpot is referring to here. They've benchmarked the performance and quality of some... Read All I found this great article by TechSpot today explaining why using "Ultra" settings (or the preset) is "dumb." I have to agree, although I'm one of those gamers that wants the best hardware to be able to easily run any game on that preset. However, this is an expensive and performance demanding preference. It's not based on logic, either. I have noticed great quality in games using only the "High" preset along with great performance. I've also noticed that the "Ultra" preset doesn't usually add anything noticeable, except for the huge performance hit.

That experience is exactly what TechSpot is referring to here. They've benchmarked the performance and quality of some games using really good hardware. Their observations were pretty much what I just said, the quality of "Ultra" presets is usually negligible and comes with a big hit to performance. I really think this is a relevant topic here and I do strongly recommend reading the article. One of the games mentioned is DOOM Eternal and the game recommend that I don't use the highest preset, but the second highest and it was great.

Sometimes it's difficult to decide which settings to use in a game and presets are a great way to do that simply. GeForce Experience can also optionally "optimize" your settings, but I've found that while those settings are usually good, sometimes they are not. This makes me question the basis of the settings that GE chooses.

Take for example Ark: Survival Evolved. I let GE "optimize" my settings when I got my GTX 1660Ti (and other new hardware). However, I noticed the performance with those settings was unacceptable. It was pretty much using the "Epic" preset, which is the "Ultra" one for this game. Ark has been out for a while now and it's been very demanding on hardware since the beginning. This is just an example of a game where the highest preset comes with an unacceptable hit to performance while not really showing any greatly obvious quality improvement that you'd think would come as a result of the settings.

Let me know what you think about this topic. Are you one of the people that *must* have hardware good enough to run on "Ultra" presets? Or are you someone who values performance more and still enjoys good quality? Have you also noticed how "Ultra" presets don't always give really big and noticeable differences in quality, but significant performance hits?

https://www.techspot.com/article/2338-ultra-vs-high-settings/

I didn't want to leave this post w/out an image, so I uploaded a screenshot I took some time ago showing my settings for Ark. This was primarily to help me remember, since the game sometimes resets them.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/05/2021 at 07:59pm

I try to max out graphics. As long as framerate isn't horrible I am fine. 30 fps is all one needs.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/05/2021 at 08:30pm

Depending on the game, I won't settle for much less than 60. LOL That's for modern games, but some games are locked at 30 and I usually find that acceptable. More FPS makes me happy, even though I realize it's not all that great and sometimes irrelevant. I think GE helps "optimize" your settings for 30FPS, not 60. The Ark settings it gave me pretty much limited me to around 30 FPS and it wasn't acceptable, performance was still bad. Once I switched to the "high" preset, performance greatly improved along w/ my FPS. I'm still using a 60hz monitor, though I really want to upgrade. I also don't like screen tearing, so I use VSync. I am very interested in GSync especially, though FreeSync is gaining popularity and compatibility.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/07/2021 at 01:54pm

I’ve noticed the ultra settings providing noticeable quality on some games but not others. Though I usually tweak every setting to see how much benefit vs performance hit I get for each one.

Though when you’re zoned into a game I think it’s far less important.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/07/2021 at 07:01pm

Cool! Thanks for your input, Travis! I usually see if GE can "optimize" settings for a game (which it cannot do for all games) and see how that goes. I like the games that auto-detect and put me at the highest settings LOL. I've done most of my tweaking w/ Ark, as shown in my embedded screen shot. I was tweaking it years ago and I continued to tweak it even until recently.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/08/2021 at 08:42pm

I’ve found GeForce experience to be a good starting point but sometimes it gets things way wrong. Where some times it puts me in a very poorly running situation, sometimes it tries to make me play things at settings that are nowhere near as advanced as I could use without a performance hit.

I do like the option as a starting point quite a bit though.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/08/2021 at 09:35pm

Agreed! I have the same experience.

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/09/2021 at 04:40am

Someday I may have a PC with the ability to run max graphics on. That said, it feels like I do with the Series X but I know compared to some PC's out there it's not as powerful.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/09/2021 at 08:04am

I haven't been keeping up, but my perception is that this console is pretty good. They're remaking GTA 5 and Skyrim for both consoles and PC. I seem to remember some games performing much better on the new generation than last. I think Cyberpunk was one example. I'm not too surprised and I think it's good that they've reached this point. They seem to be on par with PC now. I don't know if they have Ray Tracing and DLSS though.

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Free Guy Is A Must See Movie And Is Streaming Now

Check out the embedded trailer. I don't want to say too much, because I don't want to give away spoilers. Guy, played by Ryan Reynolds, is pretty much the main character but there are other recognizable actors in it as well. The ones I noticed were Taika Waititi and I recognized the voice cameo by Hugh Jackman. You might recognize it, too. It sounds like him, but you don't see his face. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was actually the bank robber in the trailer that Guy shoots. You don't see his face, either.

What if life were a video game? Guy found glasses that opened his eyes and he began to see video game things such as health pickups, money, and missions. If you like... Read All

Hawkeye Is A Christmas Show?

I didn't expect to be excited about a Hawkeye show. I generally am not a fan of the character.

But, I *love* that this is leaning heavily into the Christmas theme! I hope the show keeps that vibe throughout!

Also, "Rogers: The Musical"? YES PLEASE

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 09/13/2021 at 05:01pm

Kinda getting Die Hard feels from this 😀

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/13/2021 at 05:21pm

Yup. Looks good.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/13/2021 at 05:34pm

Ew, I don't like Christmas. It's the most *not* wonderful time of the year, IMO. Adam's right about his Die Hard comment. I haven't dived into the Marvel comics, so I didn't know who Kate was until I played Marvel's Avengers. She also goes by "Hawkeye." I thought she was Clint's daughter, but she's simply a fan. They have an interesting relationship, though, or at least I think it's interesting. I like Kate in the game and she looks cool here, too.

I had to pause to see because the clip goes by so quickly, but I noticed a woman in red with black hair and a wine glass at a dinner table. She is Vera Farmiga and was in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. I really like her because she looks like someone I know (there's a bit more to it than that, but I'm just going to keep it simple here).

Thanks for sharing! Now I'm going to go have a Christmas barf.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 09/13/2021 at 05:51pm

Lol! Christmas is my favorite time of year, but if it's not yours, I'm really sorry about how long the season lasts!

One minor detail I saw I the trailer that's probably nothing, but in the Rogers musical, it looks like Loki is wearing a mask, and I want it to me a nod to The Mask with Jim Carrey lol

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/13/2021 at 06:05pm

Yeah, sorry to crap on your favorite time, I meant no offense to you. I guess that's part of why I didn't get into it and decided against saying what I wanted to. Funny, too, how I said your comment about Die Hard was right, but I thought Jon posted this, I later realized you did. So many details, so little I've paid attention to.

I only saw Cap in that musical, everything went by so fast. The Mask was awesome!!!! In fact, it was "smokin'!"

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/16/2021 at 03:09am

> Now I'm going to go have a Christmas barf.

After how many candy cane cookies?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/16/2021 at 03:34am

LOL Well I do like the fruity ones.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/16/2021 at 08:25am

Oh! How could I forget! I do love Nightmare Before Christmas! Also, to be fair to Christmas, there isn't a holiday that I like.

Travis Admin wrote on 09/17/2021 at 02:35am

Greg you strike me as someone who would enjoy Halloween :)

And yeah this is interesting. Definitely not what I was expecting from Hawkeye but I'm glad the tone feels very different.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/19/2021 at 09:49pm

> Also, to be fair to Christmas, there isn't a holiday that I like.

Tonight a Ghost of Christmas past will come to visit you...

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/20/2021 at 02:54am

Well it better be a Cheerful Ghost or I'm calling the Ghostbusters!

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/20/2021 at 11:19pm

👻

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/25/2021 at 06:42am

Disney+ never disappoints! Go watch the two episodes they gave us, "bro."

jdodson Admin wrote on 11/25/2021 at 08:50pm

Thanks for the note. Added to my watchlist!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 12/09/2021 at 03:41pm

I am really enjoying this! So far the only Marvel show to not 100% connect with me was Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/09/2021 at 04:50pm

I've liked all these shows. I'm once again at the point where there are two episodes left and I wonder how they're going to answer all my questions. It's exciting.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/09/2021 at 05:30pm

I don't like the Christmas aspect of the show, but if you're curious as to why it's there, check this out (it has nothing to do with story details, so definitely no spoilers): https://www.gamespot.com/articles/so-why-is-hawkeye-a-christmas-show/1100-6498720/

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 12/09/2021 at 08:50pm

It should have been an april 1st story! :)

I like the christmas aspect.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/09/2021 at 09:38pm

It does help with the episodic timeline. There are only 6 of these and 2 more. It makes sense, because Clint is trying to get home for Christmas.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 12/10/2021 at 03:15am

What if he wanted to get home before April 1st so he could pull an epic prank on his wife? I think I am on to something here. 🤣

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/23/2021 at 01:06am

Hawkeye is the most awesome Christmas ever, along with The Nightmare Before Christmas. Despite my dislike for this holiday season, I absolutely love this show! It has mysteries, a great plot, great action, and surprises! When it comes to Disney+ (and movies for that matter), the MCU does not disappoint. Be sure to stick around for a post-credits scene, it's quite enjoyable. "I can do this all day!"

Travis Admin wrote on 12/23/2021 at 03:26am

I don’t know if I’d say Hawkeye is anywhere near my favorite Marvel series, but it absolutely has my favorite finale of any Marvel show.

Which is weird because they’ve all been so satisfying. But this one is SO satisfying. The finale is probably my favorite single episode of any Marvel TV. Well. Disney Plus Marvel TV. The whole Netflix Universe and Agents of SHIELD is something else but it looks like those lines are getting blurred

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The Matrix Resurrections Trailer!

The trailer for The Matrix Resurrections is finally out and the movie will be released in theaters and HBO Max on 12/22/21. The trailer says "this Christmas" and my first thought was that is a bad idea, because Spider-Man: No Way Home comes out on Christmas and I wouldn't bet on anything getting as much attention. That's not to say The Matrix is bad, it's great in fact, but...well I'm sure you understand.

So, Neo and Trinity are back, but they don't know each other. Neo (Thomas) is seeing a therapist played by Neil Patrick Harris, because he's having weird dreams and thinks he's crazy. Jada Pinkett Smith returns as Niobe, who you might remember in the sequels. It... Read All The trailer for The Matrix Resurrections is finally out and the movie will be released in theaters and HBO Max on 12/22/21. The trailer says "this Christmas" and my first thought was that is a bad idea, because Spider-Man: No Way Home comes out on Christmas and I wouldn't bet on anything getting as much attention. That's not to say The Matrix is bad, it's great in fact, but...well I'm sure you understand.

So, Neo and Trinity are back, but they don't know each other. Neo (Thomas) is seeing a therapist played by Neil Patrick Harris, because he's having weird dreams and thinks he's crazy. Jada Pinkett Smith returns as Niobe, who you might remember in the sequels. It *looks* like Morpheus is back, but is played by another guy. It looks like this might be a younger version of himself (according to the link below). Hugo Weaving will also not return and I'm disappointed both actors will not be returning.

I found a link with some more details, especially about the actors. You can check it out here:
https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29498105/the-matrix-4-cast-release-date-plot-trailer-keanu-reeves-news/

I'm looking forward to seeing it, I've loved The Matrix movies since they came out. I'm also extremely fond of The Animatrix and if you haven't seen it, but are a fan of The Matrix, you should. As it sounds, it's anime Matrix stories. Some aren't really relevant to the overall story, but a few of them are significantly related. IMHO the best ones give us the backstory of how the Matrix was created and it's very interesting and disturbing. I loved the soundtrack as well.

I'm glad it seems this is coming to HBO Max the same day as theaters. The one great thing about COVID is that it created a significant boost to streaming services like HBO Max and Disney+. Those services have started showing movies when they release and I really love it. I think it's incredibly responsible, especially since we're currently dealing with the more contagious Delta variant and even vaccinated people are getting sick (but not mortally so). I prefer to watch something in the privacy of my own room. I did go see Shang-Chi, so obviously I've decided to go anyway, since not all movies I want to watch are streamed right away.

Let me know what you think about this. Are you a fan of The Matrix? What did you think of the trilogy? Have you seen The Animatrix? I've got a little more to say, but I might wait and put it in the comments.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/11/2021 at 01:01am

> Let me know what you think about this.

Looks like a visually and stylistically fresh take on The Matrix. It's not too modern, but modern enough. I'm going to see this for sure.

That said, I have no idea what this is beyond The Matrix again?

> Are you a fan of The Matrix?

Yeah, very much. Re-watched the trilogy a few months ago.

> What did you think of the trilogy?

The first movie is a massive cultural milestone. It has a bit of "90's goof" but I love camp so it's awesome. I used to really _HATE_ the sequels but recently I've come around on that and find them to be pretty good. I agree with some recent takes on the sequels, they should be viewed as one complete film as they were shot back to back and really are.

> Have you seen The Animatrix?

Many times. I'd rate it the second best Matrix movie.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/11/2021 at 02:02am

I think it looks "modern," but maybe I don't understand your definition. Yeah, this does seem like "The Matrix again." Remember (spoilers!) Neo formed a truce with the machines and gave up his body. We see images of that in this trailer. It also seems as though someone is watching The Matrix via screen projection.

I don't know about "90's goof," I never felt that, but I really enjoyed it. I didn't hate the sequels, but it seems sequels never live up to the original. The movies are a true sequential trilogy, though.

I'm massively impressed you've seen and loved The Animatrix! I don't know of anyone else that has seen it.

One thing I wanted to note is that I love Neil Patrick Harris's glasses (obviously, because they're blue!). However, I came to believe they're specifically blue. This wasn't some random color the costume designers chose, they're blue as in "blue pill." I think that's real fitting (and an original thought). The blue pills make a seriously obvious come back, but we do later get to see the choice to be made again (red vs. blue).

Thanks for posting this reply, because I just posted my Shadow of War review and it looks like it pushed this down. I wanted this to have the attention, because I'm sure others here want to see this, too.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/11/2021 at 05:25am

I really loved the first matrix. I thought the other two were fun, but don’t remember much from them. I have watched some of the animatrix if not all.

This trailer slaps and kind of makes me want to see it in the theater.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/12/2021 at 05:06pm

I agree with everything Will has said here lol. Loved the first, the sequels were fun, but not great, and I'm familiar with the Animatrix, but still need to sit down and watch all of it.

And the trailer looks amazing. I have a feeling we're going to go into the movie thinking it's soft reboot, and they're going to subvert expectations very satisfyingly. 😀

Travis Admin wrote on 09/12/2021 at 06:08pm

I never disliked the Matrix sequels but they weren’t what I expected at the time. My rewatches were always better than the first time seeing them in theaters.

The Matrix was my favorite film for a while, it was the first DVD I bought when I got a DVD rom for my PC.

In a lot of ways I think the animatrix and the video game between Reloaded and Revelations are required to really feel like you have a full understanding of what the whole world is all about, which is great for people who dive into all of that but not for those who didn’t. For example I only found out this week that Morpheus is canonically dead because of the events of the Matrix Online, and the Wachowski sisters consider that fully part of canon.

Though it seems like in this revision of the Matrix, Yahya’s character is a new Morpheus.

Anyway yes I am super into this trailer and I hope covid has died down enough by late December so I can see this in theaters. But either way I’m watching it many times I’m sure.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/12/2021 at 06:46pm

Yay, Travis finally spoke up! I was waiting for that! :) I remember when we were college roommates. In my memory, I still have an image of seeing that Matrix DVD and I remember us watching it, maybe at least once. I don't recall if I saw it in theaters, but I think maybe so. I had already graduated high school by the time it came out and was in community college.

I don't recall a "Matrix Online" though I've recently seen that it existed. I think the one I was familiar with was Enter the Matrix, which I'm sure I saw in the database here. I think I remember it came out on all three consoles at the time; GameCube, XBox, and PS2 (I still have all three). I specifically remember seeing it for the GameCube. I don't recall if I played it though. I may have played a little bit of it, but not enough to get any story out of it. I seem to remember Niobe.

That's odd that Morpheus is canonically dead, because of the the events of The Matrix Online. I guess that's a bit of the Matrix lore I missed out on. And yes, it's been confirmed Yahya is indeed playing a younger version of Morpheus, if his style wasn't obvious enough. He confirmed it on Twitter.

Once again, New Rockstars (on YouTube) has a great trailer breakdown and analysis.

Travis Admin wrote on 09/13/2021 at 03:25am

Yeah I played Enter the Matrix back in the day and loved it. Gameplay was… basically just ok but the story was great. You remember correctly, Niobe was a big part.

Travis Admin wrote on 09/13/2021 at 03:25am

Thinking about playing it again if I can get it to run on modern hardware

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/13/2021 at 07:22am

Cool, man! I was about to ask about "modern hardware," but I decided to Google my question, I didn't know it's also a PC game. I'm just not sure where to buy it, I don't see it on Steam, not that that's the only place to buy games...

Travis Admin wrote on 09/14/2021 at 03:04pm

I think it was only sold physically and then basically forgotten. I still have my discs from back in the day

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/14/2021 at 03:47pm

I have Enter the Matrix on the original Xbox. My guess is Atari didn't keep the license so they no longer can release it.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/14/2021 at 04:14pm

Oh, cool! I have an XBox, but the only game I have for it is Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/14/2021 at 08:23pm

Looks like it averages around $6 used in box: https://www.pricecharting.com/game/xbox/enter-the-matrix

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/14/2021 at 09:31pm

That sounds good! There's a site I've never heard of before, too!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/02/2021 at 02:47pm

New trailer! This one looks very interesting as it shows the parallels between this and the first movie. It talks about making "copies" and deja vu, "it happens when they change something." This month is an awesome month for movies! It looks like I'll be going twice this month. The last time I saw two movies in the same month was probably decades ago. Check it out: https://youtu.be/IgYs_NDyaLs

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 12/02/2021 at 08:44pm

I hope the movie starts with the end of 3, and the matrix physically reboots itself. Maybe put a boot up screen for credits, and then we start with this reboot!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/02/2021 at 09:24pm

Awesome ideas!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/07/2021 at 05:38am

Here's a new trailer: https://youtu.be/nNpvWBuTfrc

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 12/07/2021 at 03:28pm

Looks like Matrix is borrowing from MST3K in the new movie and providing commentary on the old movie. I hope for a lot of funny!

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/10/2021 at 02:34am

Everyone lives in the shadow of Mystery Science Theater 3000 🤣

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/21/2021 at 05:42am

Thank goodness this movie is streaming, because my theater isn't playing it. They're only playing Spider-Man: No Way Home and Encanto, the latter is one I know nothing of. I can't blame them for continuing to play Spider-Man: No Way Home. That was without a doubt the best movie of the year, maybe even the best Spider-Man movie ever!

Travis Admin wrote on 12/22/2021 at 05:17pm

Yeah I'm glad it's streaming because I feel like it launched right at the window where I no longer want to go to the theater anymore. We were planning to go see this and Spider-Man next week in theaters but covid is at peak levels in VA now, back like it was last January before the vaccines were really available. And this damn hypercontagious omicron variant seems to be able to defeat a lot of defenses.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/27/2021 at 07:42pm

I think the best word to describe this movie is "meta" (and I don't mean that new Facebook company). I enjoyed it. If you're a Matrix fan, I don't think you should pass this up.

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/28/2021 at 02:40am

Agreed, it's quite meta. At first it was a bit much and I was wondering how meta or how deep the rabbit hole would go. In fact, the movie doesn't even quite know then they sort of answer everything and it loses a bit of the magic. That said, it's a great film I just wished it sort of broke out of the Matrix and did a huge left turn but in the end it didn't and I'm actually really happy with what we got.

That post credit scene wasn't great. Honestly felt like they could have done better there.

Travis Admin wrote on 12/30/2021 at 11:32pm

It was a movie that we didn’t need, it didn’t really add anything to the Matrix lore or anything like that, but it was fun and something I imagine I’ll rewatch. Lana Wachowski said this was a catharsis for her, kinda going back to a comfort project to help her deal with some things in life, and it shows. It’s definitely a comfort movie.

There are no plans for this to be the start of a new trilogy but I’d kinda like to see that.

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Marvel's What If...? Coming August 11 to Disney+

Marvel's animated show, What If....?, is coming to Disney+ on August 11. The multiverse is the big theme in Marvel these days and this show is clearly part of it. In the trailer, we can see Killmonger saving Tony Stark at the beginning of Iron Man from one of his own Stark Industries weapons. We also get to see Captain Carter, Peggy Carter with the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers. Many other well known Marvel characters make an appearance such as Thor, Loki, Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and T'Challa. There's also a slight glimpse at the zombie Avengers. The show is based on the comic book series of the same name and it looks very... Read All Marvel's animated show, What If....?, is coming to Disney+ on August 11. The multiverse is the big theme in Marvel these days and this show is clearly part of it. In the trailer, we can see Killmonger saving Tony Stark at the beginning of Iron Man from one of his own Stark Industries weapons. We also get to see Captain Carter, Peggy Carter with the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers. Many other well known Marvel characters make an appearance such as Thor, Loki, Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and T'Challa. There's also a slight glimpse at the zombie Avengers. The show is based on the comic book series of the same name and it looks very interesting. I'm looking forward to it!

Here's some interesting info from the article I found (ok I'm copying most of it):

...we see familiar characters such as Dr. Strange, Spider-Man, and Thor mixing with Howard the Duck and Captain Britain--who, in this case, is the alias of Captain Peggy Carter. T'Challa is now the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and there's a voiceover from the all-seeing Beyonder, played by Westworld's Jeffrey Wright, who teases a "journey to face the unknown."

What If...? features voiceovers from many of the actors from the MCU, including Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Josh Brolin as Thanos, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger, Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, and the late Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa.

Season 1 of What If...? will feature 10 episodes, and there's already a second season in the works. In an interview with Discussing Film in 2019, showrunner Ashley Bradley explained that the show will mix up the events of the movies in unexpected ways. "We will be exploring every movie in a new way, but not every episode is about one movie if that makes sense," he said.

"On the reel [shown at D23 Expo], there is this image of a Star-Lord T'Challa because we wanted to see what if the worlds of Black Panther and the Guardians of the Galaxy collided? That was taking two universes, two to three movies, kind of twisting them in new ways."

Let me know what you think about this. Does it look like something you're into? Are you planning to watch it when it comes out next month?

Source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/marvels-what-if-releases-august-11-new-trailer-shows-starlord-tchalla-captain-britain-and-more/1100-6493725/

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/21/2021 at 06:17pm

Will one of the episodes be "What if DC Universe succeeded and MCU didn't"?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 07/21/2021 at 07:24pm

LOL! I don't see the DCU (DCEU isn't it?) as a failure, but the MCU, I think is an outstanding success! I'd rather see one of these episodes like "What if the DCU and the MCU were together?" So, what if Batman and Ironman were in the same universe fighting together. I like both DC and Marvel, but I think Marvel is my favorite. I think the X-Men are a big part of that, because I loved watching that animated series when I was a kid. I've seen a whole lot more Marvel these days than DC. I know the DC has shows on the CW, but I haven't watched them and I'm not even sure if they're worth it.

I think it's quite interesting how there are so very many actors that have played characters in both universes.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/22/2021 at 01:31am

I think you are right, DCEU. DC has my favorite character, Batman, but Marvel has more characters I enjoy.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 07/22/2021 at 01:34am

I think I agree with you. A few years ago, when I replayed the Batman Arkham series, my thought was that Batman is my favorite, but I still like Marvel better. I may be wrong about Batman, because Wolverine is right there at the top, too. I guess I like Batman, because he's more realistic. He's intelligent and rich (his superpower) and even though he seems to be extremely both, he's a bit more relatable.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/23/2021 at 07:25pm

Wolverine is my favorite Marvel character. Are you and I the same person, GregoPeck?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 07/23/2021 at 08:41pm

I don't think so! LOL But we seem to have some great things in common. (I think we're the only two Super Members here.)

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 08/05/2021 at 09:55pm

I found a news article with a Marvel tweet showing off some more What If...? and it looks like Steve Rogers is Iron Man. Wow! I really hope they explain how he became Iron Man. So, Peggy got the super soldier serum, I think this means Steve didn't get it. If he didn't, then shouldn't he be a little scrawny guy? If so, then I can see why he's Iron Man, he had to get into something that would make him bigger so he could join the fight against Hydra. I also wonder, what's going to happen to Tony? We'll see this month! I'm looking forward to the series, especially after seeing all the awesome stuff Marvel has been doing. Here's the link I found: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/marvels-what-if-clip-shows-steve-rogers-as-the-proto-iron-man/1100-6494767/

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 08/12/2021 at 04:16am

Episode 1: What If Peggy Carter Was the First Avenger? Out now! Wow, I've had a huge crush on Peggy (really Hayley Atwell), Captain Carter just makes her more of a badass! I still love her! She's seen in the trailer, too, talking to Doctor Strange, so we'll see her soon. An article published and mentioned by New Rockstars says that she'll return for "season two and beyond." So, she's going to be a major character going forward.

I liked that in the trailer they showed us Captain Carter and Steve Rogers. This told us that she got the serum instead of him and he's what we think of as Iron Man, but is called Hydra Smasher. Then shows us how the suit is powered. I wonder what that means for Tony Stark. We know that he gets rescued by Killmonger and doesn't get hit with shrapnel, which removes the need for him to create Iron Man, but I don't know if that happens in the same universe as Captain Carter. We may yet see.

jdodson Admin wrote on 08/13/2021 at 02:09am

Looking forward to watching it soon.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 08/18/2021 at 03:32pm

Episode 2 is a sad one as it stars T'Challa and is voiced by Chadwick Boseman (not all actors returned to voice their characters in this series). It's great that he was able to voice his character, but his untimely death is a tragedy. The end of the episode contains a tribute to him.

This episode had some serious "wow" moments. In fact, when I saw one character, I said "WTF?!" Well, I didn't say the acronym, I'm just using it here. That was certainly a surprise! I think you'll probably be surprised to see him, too, and once you do, you'll realize who I'm talking about.

There's something I wanted to note and this is the best place I can think of to express my thought about it. I've already told you that this episode features T'Challa and if you paid attention to the trailer, you'll know he is Star Lord. Since this is related to Guardians of the Galaxy, it shouldn't be a big surprise that The Collector is in it. However, it surprises me that Benicio del Toro is credited as voicing The Collector, but to me it sounds nothing like him. I can't say I'm very familiar with the actor. Other than GotG, I only know the actor from the movie Snatch. I think he's really cool and I love his accent, but I didn't hear it in this episode.

I read that this episode is some how going to tie into Black Panther 2.

Let me know what you think about this series and this episode. Do you think The Collector sounds like Benicio del Toro?

I can't wait to see more episodes of this series, though I really don't want to see the zombie episode (I hate zombies. I think they're overused and in most everything. Granted, they're an easy target to use as something to kill).

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/16/2021 at 04:08am

There's a new "mid-season" trailer! Holy cow, "mid-season?" Obviously this show is running longer than any other. The trailer contains much of what we've already seen, but it also looks like at least some episodes have a part two. I have thoughts on the series so far and if anyone wants to discuss it feel free, too.

Episode 1 was great! I love Peggy Carter and I love Haley Atwell. I also liked the Starlord T'Chala episode and it looks like he's returning. The third episode was ok.

The Doctor Strange episode was great, but I find it deeply disturbing and dramatic and even though I really liked it, I'd rather not think about it (that's how much it disturbs me). I feel sorry for Strange and I really like him. We'll see this Strange again, but I don't think he's "evil." I just think he's "emo." I think some how he managed to escape his fate (lucky for him) and I imagine he's very remorseful and regretful for what he did. Although, maybe he's made at The Watcher for not interfering when he asked him to. We'll see him again and I'm looking forward to it. I hope my thoughts about him not being evil are proven, but I won't be too surprised if I'm wrong.

The zombies episode was absolutely horrible IMO. That's because I *hate* zombies! Not only are they disgusting and disturbing, but they're in nearly everything. Could we actually get something that doesn't have zombies in it? I mean, they're great fodder for something to kill, but geez. It looks like there's a second part to it and I'm not looking forward to it. I'd like to watch the zombie episodes ASAP to get them out of the way so I can actually look forward to what's next, which IMO just about anything would be better than frickin' zombies!

The newest episode with Killmonger was cool. It looks like he's making an appearance again (along with Captain Carter, Starlord T'Chala, and "emo" Doctor Strange). Captain Marvel and Gamora are making an appearance soon as well.

Let me know what you think about this! I think it's a great show, but I've thought about that with every Marvel show so far, although I didn't like John Walker, the character nor actor. Also note, season two has already been given the go-ahead, just like Loki.

Check out the new mid-season trailer: https://youtu.be/1dOx38iLreg

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Nintendo Switch OLED Model Coming Oct. 8

I found out about this a day ago and thought I'd share with you Switch lovers and owners, in case you weren't aware. A new model for the Switch (OLED) is coming on Oct. 8 at the same time the new Metroid game is coming out. The new model includes a bigger screen, improved audio, wider adjustable stand, 64GB of internal memory, and a wired LAN port. It's going to cost $350. While this isn't a 4K model with upgraded hardware like the CPU, it's still a bit of an upgrade and the 4K upgraded model may still be in the Switch's future.

I think the bigger screen sounds nice. It reminds me of when the 3DSXL came out. I really wanted to get it. I finally did buy a 2DSXL,... Read All I found out about this a day ago and thought I'd share with you Switch lovers and owners, in case you weren't aware. A new model for the Switch (OLED) is coming on Oct. 8 at the same time the new Metroid game is coming out. The new model includes a bigger screen, improved audio, wider adjustable stand, 64GB of internal memory, and a wired LAN port. It's going to cost $350. While this isn't a 4K model with upgraded hardware like the CPU, it's still a bit of an upgrade and the 4K upgraded model may still be in the Switch's future.

I think the bigger screen sounds nice. It reminds me of when the 3DSXL came out. I really wanted to get it. I finally did buy a 2DSXL, although I've barely used it. I've owned many different iterations of Nintendo's handheld, including the original Gameboy, which I got not too long after it came out. I skipped the Gameboy color, but I got a Gameboy Advance and then the SP model, which I really loved. After that, the DS came out and I bought most of the models that followed it, including the 3DS and it's iterations as well.

I'd also like to mention that I welcome most of the other upgrades. More internal memory is always a plus. I think the wired LAN port is also a good bonus. I remember buying a wired LAN adapter for my Wii. I've always believed that wired was better than wireless, but I've seen how wireless technology has significantly improved and can be just as fast as wired. The improved audio seems to be nice as well. I'm not so sure about the stand, I feel kind of "meh" about that one, but I haven't experienced the current Switch and it's stand, so maybe people who have a Switch will appreciate it.

I think it's still unsure as to how the supply will be since there's still a semiconductor shortage going on. It's been going on for a while now and is a big reason why it's so difficult to get the new XBox and PS5. It's also contributed to PC hardware prices. For example, I paid about $300 for my GTX 1660 Ti (EVGA XC Gaming, which means EVGA overclocked it) on Amazon. I've seen it on Amazon just recently for about double the price I paid. This shortage has made it difficult to find new graphics cards like the RTX 30 series and why they're also very expensive, though it may not be the only reason, because digital currency seems to be affecting the supply and demand as well, which affects prices (Econ 101).

I still don't have a Switch, but I've recently learned (as we've mentioned here) about some games I've added to my mental list of games I'm interested in. I think years ago I became aware of the newer Switch model that had better battery life and that was the model I decided I would get, if I got one. Now, I think I'd probably go for this new model, assuming I could afford it.

This news isn't quite new with regards to Nintendo. Remember how many iterations of handhelds Nintendo released (as I mentioned above), improving on it with each. It looks like the Switch is going through that same evolution (although in my opinion the Switch Lite isn't an improvement and I refused to buy one at a discount when my local GameStop closed).

So, what do you think about this? If you don't have a Switch yet, but are planning on buying one are you going to hold off to get this new model? If you have a Switch, do you think you'll buy it? If so, do you plan to try to sell your current one or keep it around? If you plant to sell it, how do you intend to go about that? Feel free to let me know!

Source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-switch-oled-announced-coming-october-8/1100-6493578/