Bring Tobey Maguire back?

Hey everyone, your friendly neighbourhood blogger here! :D

With all of the commotion surrounding Marvel, Sony and the Spider-man film series, there's a lot of hoopla about who should play the role with some touting for Donald Glover, some for Tobey Maguire, some for Andrew Garfield and some for an unknown 4th candidate. In the end, every fan has their "ideal choice". Me personally? I would have just liked to keep Andrew Garfield! He was fun, charismatic, engaging and proved to be both a likeable Peter Parker and a perfect Spider-man.

No all that shit has changed! Spider-man has joined to the MCU and millions of Marvel movie-goers webbed their pants with excitement (among other things, hiyooooo). Talks are that firstly, before we're treated to yet another reboot, the red & blue web-slinger will dish out his first appearance in another Marvel movie. Odds are for it to be Captain America 3: Civil War. Why Civil War of all movies? Well Spider-man happens to play a part in the overall story, unmasking himself for all to see amongst the Steve Rogers/Tony Stark war...

Now fans have been fan-casting, preying and hoping for certain actors to portray the web-head in what will surely be one of the biggest Marvel movies to date! Below you will find out along with my own opinion on why I feel he should or should not be given this high-profile role!

Donald Glover

This is the first one I want to talk about. There's been rumours circulating that they may go with the Miles Morales Spider-man. For anyone who doesn't know, Miles Morales is a 13/14 year old black Spider-man who takes up the mantle after the death of Peter Parker. Now everyone's going ape-tit's over having Donald Glover play as Miles simply because he voiced the character in the Ultimate Spider-man cartoon. But there's one problem. He's way too old to portray an early teen in a movie and I don't feel that Miles Morales would be a good choice to have as the first Spider-man of the MCU. In fact, I feel that would just confuse and maybe not sit well with children who are so used to Peter Parker. In the end, I wouldn't mind seeing Miles on screen, just not played by Donald Glover (or Jaden Smith) and eventually instead of instantly. 

Dylan O'Brien

Possibly my favourite of the potential candidates. I mean just look at him! That youthful teenage look. I mean he doesn't look realistically dorky with those specks (I mean which Hollywood actor does?). But I feel he nails the Peter Parker look and has the chops to play the character well for years to come. He's mostly known for the Teen Wolf TV Show, so he's got the whole "Highschool outcast with exceptional gift" thing down! And Marvel seems to want to have a High school Peter. 

Josh Huthcerson

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

When you look like the love-child of Joe Pesci and Rocky Dennis and have the emotional range of a match stick, your not an ideal candidate. Donno why people seem to pick him. 

(Don't even think about it Drake Bell!)

Andrew Garfield

I admit, he's not an actual candidate for the role, but fans (including myself) are clamouring for his return in the role. With the shared deal between Sony and Marvel, includes a new start, eliminating the progress of the rocky Amazing Spider-man movies. Rumour has it that Garfield left Sony and the role before the deal could hit. Saddening to hear, you can't blame someone for being human. But he would be a great choice in my opinion. He already has experience in the role, being a fan-favourite between him and Maguire for bringing the hero from the comics to life in a manner Tobey simply couldn't. His age and looks worked well with each other where he convincingly played a high schooler. With a little bit of un-shaved stubble, he could easily play an older Peter Parker as well.

Now before I go on to the last candidate. It's obviously no surprise who this last person is, but I'm going to spend the rest of the blog post talking about why he would be the most logical candidate to go with. I present to you....

Tobey Maguire

Tobey Maguire everyone!!! Now lets get one thing clear, from someone who grew up on the Sam Raimi Spider-man trilogy, Tobey Maguire will ALWAYS be Spider-man in my eyes. He may not have portrayed him the best, but he is synonymous with the role to me! His Peter Parker is both realistic and believable. He brings out the perfect rendition of isolated and nerdy that a real-life Peter Parker is bound to display. His Spider-man? A little awkward at times but enjoyable, watchable and entertaining. 

I know, your probably thinking "YOU ARE WRONG!" or something like " You don't know what your talking about"

Well keep reading for why I think Tobey Maguire is the "logical" choice to play as Spider-man in the MCU. 

He's already been in the role

One advantage he has over every other candidate is that he's played the role, in not one, not two, but three movies! While the first two were praised highly, the last wasn't. Albeit, it did well financially which is still technically a success, right? Heck, both of the Amazing Spider-man movies didn't even gross more than Spider-man 3. But in comparison to any other actor here, he's dived in to the role for the longest and I feel it's a role Tobey Maguire would feel more than comfortable being back in. 

His world is more rich

Raimi's Spider-man movies welcomed more of the characters and tropes that made the comics iconic from the beginning till today. Raimi's movies introduced Peter, Aunt May, Uncle Ben, Harry & Norman Osbourne, J. Jonah Jameson, Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, Flash Thompson, Eddie Brock and more in a modern New York City (Queens to be exact). The original Spider-man trilogy started before Marvel's first "Iron Man" movie which kickstarted the MCU, this would give Raimi's trilogy the edge of setting up Spider-man in the MCU.

Being that Spider-man 3 ended up with Peter saying his goodbyes to a dying Harry and getting Mary Jane. he could have simply retired for the time being. It's a lame excuse but it works, with a world of more superior heroes, why would he need to come from retirement? But the Civil War would be the reason to change that! But Marvel could think of something better, I'm not one of their paid writers! Regardless, Raimi's trilogy offers up more leeway and opportunities to inject Spider-man into the MCU in comparison to Webb's Amazing Spider-man movies. 

His Spider-man has been through more

While Garfield was in the role, he had been through some tragic events, such as losing Uncle Ben, creating The Lizard, losing Captain Stacy, seeing visions of Captain Stacy, upsetting an Electric stalker, pissing off Harry and losing Gwen Stacy. 

Now, while that's only two movies in comparison to three, it barely touches on what Tobey Maguires Spider-man has been through...

He didn't stop the burglar, lost Uncle Ben, watched Norman Osbourne die, unknowingly pissed off Harry, watched Octavius become a villain, had a drunk Harry slap him, lost his powers, gained them back, watched Doc Ock sacrifice himself, fought Harry, caused Harry to get amnesia, technically cheated on Mary Jane (she was a bitch anyway), lost Mary Jane, got a sexy killer-black suit, almost killed Sandman, stole Eddie's girl from him, stole Eddie's job from him, played Gwen, performed a well-practised dance number, almost killed Harry, almost got killed by Venom and Sandman, accidentally killed Eddie Brock (or did he?), watched Harry die, got Mary Jane back (booooo).

So yeah, you could kinda say he's a more experience Spider-man. That and his character and his world is more developed!

He would make a bigger impact to the Civil War

As it's been stated by other fans, while Marvel want their Spider-man to be of High school age, it's important to note that Peter in the Civil War storyline is well past his teenage years and a much developed hero within the Marvel universe, so the idea of him revealing his identity was huge. If they brought in Spider-man and kept him mute until revealing himself, only to reveal Tobey Maguire underneath, I feel like it could positively impact long-time fans and fans of the comic as well.

For now that's all I'm gonna say on the subject. I know not everyone will agree with me or see my poor bad awful logic, but hopefully you enjoyed the wee read anyhow. 

Below you'll just find some side-notes: 

Keep Mary Jane away!

Lemme be more clear about that. Keep Kirsten Dunst away, she is a plague to the role of Mary Jane and I would not like to see her return. She always gave off this impression in Spider-man 3 like she couldn't be fucked. And with that kind of performance, I wouldn't like to see her get the career-boost she all-so-desperately needs! 

While on the topic though, keep Shailene Woodley away as well. While we never really got to see her in the role in TASM 2, I also feel her acting ability is too low for a movie of this calibre, she's bland, faceless and just in it for the career opportunities, as she made clear when she "demanded" for a role in a Marvel film.

Miles Morales

Below, you'll find a short sample of Donald Glover as Miles Morales from the Ultimate Spider-man cartoon, for your entertainment:

Let me be Spider-man!!!

I'm no beggar, but if anyone from Marvel or Sony is reading this, hook me up? ;)

I'll do it for FREE!!! You know you want to see this in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: 

(FYI, it's not really me)

Goodnight everybody!

About me....in a nutshell.

Today, I thought I'd make a different sort of blog post. I've realised after what? 7 Blog posts, that I haven't really introduced myself to the internet and anyone reading this blog (most readers are 'friends' anyway).

So that's the plot of this post today, to give a little introduction, what I do and/or plan on doing with my life and maybe some facts of me!

First of all, who am I? From the right hand side of the page and my not-so-subtle profile picture, you'll find my name is Scott Burns. I was born and raised in the humble land of Scotland - a land of poor weather and many grassy hills. There was also a very well-known Mel Gibson movie based on our history, which some argue is not accurate but whatever. 

Currently at the ripe age of 22. I'm of a husky build and I'm slowly watching as my hair thins every year! Am I depressing you yet? (sorry)

What do I do currently? Well, I'm not very good with jobs and job searching an all of that magical jazz, but I currently work in an airport as a "Customer Host" for a Cafe. It's okay, it pays and I can buy the little pleasures in life, no complaints. As of 2014, I finished college, graduating with a HND in Sound Production. What does that mean? I'm just decent with Musical software and stuff. When I do stuff regarding that, it's more of a hobby than a passion. When I started college, I wanted to become a composer. Composed music in movies, TV and videogames is something I find an interest in, but over the years, my interests have changed and shaped for what may be the better!

Beyond having a job, what I also enjoy doing is drawing and writing. When I was younger, all I used to draw was Sonic the Hedgehog. I'd draw the characters on my school jotters, on my folders, on the corners of my tests and so on. For the last 4-5 years I've been drawing and improving on my own characters for my own novels! (like I said, I enjoy writing too)

For example: 

The inception of "Matthew Gray"

One of the more recent drawings featuring

the updated look of today!

With time, you develop your skills and your results show. I feel the same about my writing. I wrote the novel that features Matthew in 2012, titled "Descendants of Honour" and it has since seen a re-write and is sitting stored away till I do the final re-write. It's a story I know like the back of my hand and based within Falkirk, a town local to me. Since then I've gone on to write many more personal projects. 

I've written a Justice League script that one day, I'd like to utilize into a Youtube video in-time for the eventual Justice League movie!

I've written a script for a KFC Horror short. I loved every bit of it, it's crazy, it's hilarious and insane. 

I've written part of a Pilot for a TV show idea I had called Strangemouth. It's something that really brought me into a dark place that when writing, I'd get these killer goosebumps and just imagining my words as visual pieces, I could feel the horror of what I was writing, exciting stuff. 

There was also a time where I was writing a script for a Deadpool short movie but abandoned when too many suggestions and ideas were getting thrown at me, that I lost interest. I love Deadpool, I love and know the character well enough, but wasn't willing to chuck a cameo from every Marvel character under the sun...ugh, 

And there's my Formidable Three scripts..more on that at another time. 

Why do all of this? Simple - it's fun :D I take enjoyment out of it and hope to eventually finish all of these scripts and bring the projects to fruition. Usually I end up doing them myself because other people aren't interested, don't bring anything to the table or don't see the potential. But there's a potential in everything. So usually I pursue my projects on my own. I don't mind though, like I said, I enjoy it :)

I've collaborated in some form before. You see, I also have a Youtube Channel which I mentioned in the beginning blog posts. I called on others to voice characters on an audio comic adaptation of Space Detective. Below you can see the last video of the Space Detective series:

It's a right campy experience!

There's a mish-mash of different vids on my Youtube account. If you haven't, be sure to subscribe, you never know when I do something new, out from the blue ;)

What do I want to do with my life? 

Well currently, I'm writing and collaborating with a friend and partner on my first comic, titled "The Formidable Three: Origins" It's a cartoony-slapstick adventure that I'll speak more of in a later post!

So for 2015, I want to see that progress and hopefully finished as well as doing a short Batman film that aims to achieve what no Batman film has done and provide a thrilling and scary psychological approach to the caped crusader. It will be filmed on a Super 8 camera which will hopefully give it that extra unsettling edge in a visual manner. 

After which, I will focus on possibly more Formidable Three stories and more importantly, the third rewrite of Descendants of Honour which will be followed by a heavy campaign of looking for a publisher or/and an agent. Should this not prove successful, it shall be followed by an even heavier promotional campaign. 

From there? Focus on a sequel perhaps? Or start with a new novel? Who knows...

Some facts about me!

Lastly, I thought I'd end this on a fun note, Five little facts about me. So if you bump into me in the street, you'll have a nice wee ice breaker to use ;)

1. I have a permanent scar on my left elbow from a time I fell as a child

2. I'm definitely more of a DC fan but Spider-man is my favourite Superhero. 

3. When I was a kid, the Singing Kettle team came to my hometown and picked me (along with a select few others from my primary class) to be featured on a video, singing about keeping our teeth clean. 

4. Despite only watching it last year, Twin Peaks is my favourite TV show and nothing's gonna change that. 

5. I'm a big fan of NIN and How to Destroy Angels, but a favourite song of mines right now is "Doing it right - Daft Punk". 

That's that for now! Goodnight everybody!

Support Indie Media!

Indie Media - I'm simply narrowing that down to Comics, Movies and Videogames. Read on for what I have to say in regards to the future of media and how supporting Indie creators will help that!

Today this symbol will be used

in a rebellious cliché method

I'm a child of the 90's. I was born in ol' '92. It was a good year. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 came out, Batman Returns and Wayne's World hit theatres and Miley Cyrus was born...wait, what? 

From my young perspective throughout the 90's, whenever I saw a movie or played a game, I thought nothing of it. The gaming scene was the latest and long-lasting thing among kids in those days (among many hip fads!) Suddenly we were breaking from mere 16-Bit games to fully 3D games that opened a new world and gave us a much more realistic approach to how we interact with a virtual world.

Basically this...but kinda not

So from my young perspective, it really seemed the gaming world was booming with interest, sales and new ideas. 

Comics! We had a Golden Age, a Silver Age and a Bronze Age of comics. But the 90's, man...comic's were trying new things. Some titles had "experimental phases", new publishers were created and with them came new IP's for the coloured funny-book industry. You could chalk it up as semi-modern underground phase in comics. But while we saw new ideas and so-so, it wasn't all money and success for everyone.

The industry still had interest and that's what mattered to a fanbase of ageing-awkward nerds growing up in the height of awful fashion. 

Just your average 90's gamer

waiting on his mail-order set of DOOM Floppy Disks

Now the Film industry. An industry that has been going strong since it's inception, the 90's saw a butt-load of cheesy movies. It wasn't the 80's no more, you couldn't get away with it! It wasn't all doom & gloom, we saw some compelling drama movies rise from this glorious decade. 

On a side note, the 90's gave us Jurassic Park, The Matrix, Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption and heck, even Toy Story! New ideas were aplenty in this splendid era and it was a business that could still surprise the market of modern viewers.

As the world we knew changed, creative media

began "falling with style" (sorry)

BOOM - The Internet happened. When the internet grew bigger, it started becoming available in more and more homes. Sooner or later, most 1st class and 2nd class citizens and families began having internet readily available in their own premises to explore the big wide web. While the process started slow, it was soon to change the creative outlet forever and all forms of media would indeed be effected...

As time passed, computers and the internet became something we used in our lives almost daily! In the last few years, all forms of media have began to experience a sloping decline, in a sense. 

YES, movies, comics and videogames are readily available at many retail stores where we can find them at our own leisure, but not in the same way we used to....

Let's start with Comics! Today, Comics are still readily available in certain stores. You won't find them among traditional magazines in your local convenience store, but rather only in shops that tailor towards the nerdy user-base. As far as the collectable comic-book market goes...it's very much declined, per se'. True, if you manage to own like the first Superman/Batman/Spiderman/Etc. issue, then yeah, you'll be in the big money. But with the inception of Digital Comics, the industry has changed completely, forever. 

Now people can purchase comics from the beginning till the present day, essentially killing off the value and validity of it's physical counterpart. 

What's changing this industry also? Indie comics - Comic's created by individuals with a story to tell. Indie comic-book creators are creating more unique and interesting titles than Marvel or DC. Thankfully, most if not all indie creators want their titles to be physical, giving a new lease of life for physical comics and digital as an afterthought. Unlike Marvel or DC, a good amount of Indie comics usually have a conclusion set up, whereas with most/all superhero comics by the "Big Two" continuing for decades with characters being killed, then brought back constantly. But in the end, an Indie comic is only as good as how much effort and money the creator(s) put into it. 

Films! Films are readily available in a variety of ways - Physically bought on store, bought online to download, streamed on a subscription service (Netflix, Now TV) or watched in the Cinema. Now when people want to watch a film, they usually turn to one solution - illegal streaming/download. In the good ol' days, when you wanted to see a new movie, you went to the cinema. When you wanted to see a movie that was already out, you either bought it or went on a quick trip to your local Video Store to borrow a movie for a day or two. 

Now, with everybody turning to online streaming of movies illegally, the business is limping along. Companies have closed, movies have bombed and Video stores have closed because of illegal streaming of movies and why? Because it's free! Because people feel entitled.

It isn't every consumer's fault though. With online streaming, companies in Hollywood may see new ideas as too much of a risk. The solution? Churn out a remake!

Remakes, remakes, remakes...If it's not a superhero movie or a comedy, it's a remake. Where are the ideas I hear you say? In Indie creators! There are generations of individuals out there who yearn to bring their ideas and stories to the screens in any way they can. The indie film fanbase is filled with devotion and commitment unlike any other and some indie films can really surprise you in ways blockbuster films haven't for a long time. Look into it, get involved. 

Videogames are a little tougher. Unlike simply putting a pen to paper or pressing record on a camera, to make any kind of progress in creating a videogame, its required that you have a good idea of what you want to create and some knowledge of coding in general. Todays games are a sad affair when you compare them to the games of yesteryear when we had variety! 

Now? If it's not Call of Duty, Assassins Creed, Fifa, Far Cry or Battlefield, it usually isn't given much attention. Like comics and films, videogames have also moved to being available both physically and digitally - unlike other media, not resulting in being any cheaper. With new generations of consoles comes new updates in graphical quality...and not much else. It's become a cliché market of DLC available on the disk and sold to idiotic consumers later, micro transactions you 'should' buy to win, multiplayer-focused titles and remakes!!! (Taking a page from the film industries book?)

You know what is giving us variety? Indie games! You know what isn't simply tacking-on DLC? Indie games! You know what isn't shoving micro transactions? Indie games! 

Unlike Comics and Films, most teams/individuals in the Indie gaming scene can't bring their idea to a physical format, usually relying on something like Steam or Android's app store to make their game readily available. Indie dev's are certainly bringing the meat of "what makes a game a game" with them in their titles, some reminding you of your favourites and some reminding you why you enjoyed games in the first place. 

That's not to say blockbuster games are dead or that all are boring. It's just not a good time at the moment? I dunno. 

  

But there's something that can be learned here! The market could change, depending if the masses were able to organise and make it happen.

If an artist creates a comic, he/she can easily get it stocked in his/her local comic shop. What if you make a game and can pay to make it physical and work on a console (in that very unlikely situation)? Well to start, there should be an ability to apply and submit your game to a console manufacturer who for a fee will make it physical and with a payment plan, put your game on say 100, 500 or 1000 Xbox 360 disks with options for old consoles too, such as the Dreamcast or the Snes. Why not? right? And with that, it would be on the shelves of local game stores. It would surely benefit anyone. I also acknowledge it would need a more thorough plan than that. 

Films could also take a page from this book too. It's a lot easier for someone to bring their indie movie to dvd and yes, they can sell them on their own. But to mass-market like blockbuster movies? 

It seems almost unachievable. If we still had videostores, this could help keep them open, maybe? 

Imagine - your head down to your local Blockbuster, your having a movie night with the other half, you grab some popcorn, but now for the movie. You acknowledge there are plenty of blockbuster movies that you have and haven't seen. What's this? an Indie section? Sure, why not? You see a movie with an awesome cover, a nice title and your interest is piqued. You read the back and you like the sound of it. You go home with your companion, watch it, love it and your sold! Another Indie movie to go!

Seems possible, right? I would like to believe that!

Now comics can already be stocked in comic stores. But what if this industry took a page from the Videogame and Film market. Sure you get Comic-Con where creators can show and sell their unique idea(s) but what about a Comic-book festival? Similar to Videogame and Film Festivals. Have Comic creators submit their Comic book creation into a festival. Albeit, this would need more planning to it than I am prepared for, as Videogame and Film festivals have content you can watch. At the same time, motion comics exist and I suppose that would be a smart way to submit your comic in a festival-like manner. 

But with a festival and a prize for the best comic sounds like a good way for creators to get exposed as opposed to Cons. 

So that's it everybody, just a few ideas from myself. But in the end, I'm just a fan of many movies, comics and games and would love to see the businesses survive and get better! 

Have a good day everybody!

Still bitter about the Bat?

I love movies. A lot of us do, but I get a fair bit of enjoyment from a Superhero film. The average Superhero film just has the perfect blend for what makes an entertaining movie in my opinion.
DRAMA! ROMANCE! ACTION! THRILLS! These are the makings of quintessential Superhero spectacle.

But I'm not here to talk about any Superhero movie. Simply the Batman movies. NO!!! Not the Nolan films, the sort-of-a-quadrilogy-but-not-really-a-quadrilogy Batman set of films. Starting from Tim Burtons "BATMAN" and ending with Joel Shumacher's "Batman & Robin".

I mean was it really THAT bad?

In short, it all started with Tim Burton's successful batflick - "BATMAN" deputing in cinemas everywhere in 1989. For the first time, Gotham city as imagined in the comics had been brought to life, from the gargoyle statues, to the towering buildings reeking of classical architecture. It literally put the "Goth" in Gotham. Not to mention funny-man Michael Keaton blew everyone away for his portrayal of both Bruce Wayne and Batman. 

The movies success deemed it worthy for a sequel and just to ensure a success, they hired back Tim Burton, promising him more room for creativity. This ensured his stay with Warner Bros. A sequel happened and it was successful, but was followed by a parental backlash of complaints about the film being to dark, scary and perverted. I'm not gonna lie, as an older Batfan, I've noticed tonnes of sexual innuendos in Batman Returns. I wouldn't feel the need to complain about it though as it's not something I picked up on as kid cos well...I never knew anything about boobs, willies and all the sexual organs on a human being, or any sexual terms such as "Just the pussy I've been looking for" and "I'd like to fill her void". 

Like I said, the movie was successful regardless. This cause Burton to be replaced and in his place was Joel Shumacher. When people tend to utter that name, they usually shudder at the memories of both "Batman Forever" and "Batman & Robin". Why? Good Question, read on for the reasons why and what I think of these movies myself...

It's about to get real in here...

Let's start with Batman Forever. The movie like the previous two entries proved to be once again successful. Fans were left confused when Michael Keaton was replaced the increasingly popular Val Kilmer in his place, the addition of Robin and a lack of gothic darkness, instead hankering for a more silly and fun vibe which this movie strongly delivered! 

The movie had Jim Carey play as the Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, replacing the one-time Harvey, Billy Dee Williams (who isn't really remembered for his Harvey Dent role anyway). The movie starts off light hearted with Alfred asking Bruce if he can convince him to take a sandwich, while Kilmer as Bruce grunts his voice, simply replying "I'll get drive-through". It's clearly a line you would hear in a Batman McDonalds advert or something. 

It's dark!...sorta

While fans didn't like it then, is it really bad now? Think about that for a moment. Is it? Is it bad? After almost 20 years, is it still bad? 

Starting from the Adam West Batman movie till Nolan's " The Dark Knight Rises" we've had a number of live-action Batman portrayals and each one brings something different. We're also about to get a new portrayal in "Batman vs Superman" featuring Ben Affleck as the titular Dark Knight. 

But that's what I love about all the Batman films! Variety! 

We can watch a nice range of Batman movies and my choice is usually dependent on my mood.

This is where I get honest though. While in my opinion, Michael Keaton is my favourite live-action portrayal of Batman, Batman Forever will always be my favourite movie of the Bat-franchise.

Why? Chris O'Donnell's somewhat mopy Robin is my favourite portrayal, the nipples on the batsuit doesn't bother me, it's a fun movie overall, it's so 90's to the core, the soundtrack is fabulous and well, Jim 'freaking' Carrey! 

It might not accurately portray Batman as he's shown in the comics but it's an enjoyable "blockbuster" movie. It has action, drama, romance and thrills with a small dose of comedic dialogue here and there. It's also the only movie where I've seen Tommy Lee Jones smile...

Cryyyyyyyy little siiiisteeeeeer!!!

You've probably seen Batman Forever at least once in your life and maybe thought "Joel Shumacher is a shit director, wtf???" 

Uhm...no. He's not a bad director. Sure, he's no James Cameron or Steven Spielberg. Heck he's not even Rob Reiner! But he is good. Two examples of which before he tackled the Bat from my memory are "Lost Boys" and "St Elmo's Fire". He has the chops to make a great movie. The problem with both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin was the large interference from the Studio execs. Does this excuse Shumacher's poor movies? Actually, it does! The guy creeps me out a little, but I wouldn't straight-up blame him for anything. In the decades of movie make, when have studio execs ever understood a licensed property? When have they ever understood what "the fans want"? Never! That there lies the problem with any licensed movie - cut out the execs and not limit creative freedom.

One thing that Shumacher CAN be blamed for - not having a backbone to tell the execs to back off! I know, I said I wouldn't straight-up blame him for anything and at the same time, I can't blame him for doing nothing. 

Imagine it yourself. Your a wee director, making movies is your thing and suddenly your asked to do Batman. Your asked to direct a movie for a financially successful franchise, what do you do? Whether it's about the movie or not, you obviously take it, right? It's work! And career changing work at that, no matter how you go about it. So when your in the middle of it, your not gonna exactly tell off studio execs and possibly ruin your chances at the "big gig". Everyone is different though, right?

The typical response from anyone who watches

Batman & Robin

So lets talk about Batman & Robin, the complete game-changer! This is the movie that burned the careers of many. Joel Shumacher was no longer a big director name, Alicia Silverstone's career plummeted, Arnold just kind of stayed the same, Chris O'Donnell retired from acting and both George Clooney and Uma Thurman distanced themselves from the movie, appearing in many other movies since. 

But almost 20 years later. Does is still suck? Again, does it? Does it really? Are you sure your not being too bitter? No I'm not being too soft on it. What is honestly not to love about this movie? 

I mean man oh man, if you thought Batman Forever was very 90's, this one amps it to 11! Bat-nipples to 11! Sillyness to 11! Comedy to 11! You get the gist. Once again the titular role is recast, now with real-life Bruce Wayne, George Clooney who plays an alright Bruce Wayne but a terrible Batman (at least he looks the part, right?) A Robin who seems to be going through a very tough puberty period of moaning about everything, but overall doing a good portrayal of Hayden Christensen (wait, lol). 

In all seriousness though I love this movie. A lot of people love to hate it, some people even hate on it to be cool (lol, cool...ice...lol) With so many Batman films today and so much variety, why are you still hating it? Honestly, why? Is hating it gonna get your cinema ticket money back? No! And I bet you've watched it at least once since your first time? So is it that bad you had to watch it again? Surely not. Stop hating it and accept it for what it is. A corny Batman movie with cheesy one-liners, lovable Arny keeping the crowd entertained as always, a great soundtrack and a very basic plot filled once again with drama, romance, action and thrills. While I feel it's not as great as Forever, it's still enjoyable for a lazy night-in with munches!

It's all fun and games really!

Listen to the Joker and ask yourself "Why so serious?" Why be so critical and not just enjoy something for what it is instead of hating it for eternity. If you don't like something, don't indulge in it. Save your hair from the stress! I feel sorry for anyone who can't enjoy any movie for silly and petty reasons.

Bye!

Wolfenstein: The New Odour

Excuse the lack of creativity in the title.

A few months ago, ID released the latest entry in their age-old IP - Wolfenstein. Developed by Machine Games, Wolfenstein: The New Order see's you once again play as BJ Blaskowicz in a Post-World War II world where the Nazi's won and all hell has broke loose.
The game released and fans new and old adored it, loved it. Some considered it a "return to form" or a "great return for BJ" and more. Eventually, last August, I managed to eventually get a hold of a copy of the game for myself. Being a fan of the series, having played the 3D original and the 2009 game simply titled "Wolfenstein", I was eager to try this!

Before I go on, let me make it clear that this isn't a review, per se'. And don't let how I communciate through literacy confuse you, I did enjoy the game.
When you get around to starting the game, you start in a war plane alongside your Scottish sidekick. Your on your way to sending the Nazi's a firm greeting via your boot. For the next 10 minutes, your running around pressing switches and manning the turrets, shooting at other planes. It's all fair enough, as this opening works out as a sort of tutorial to the game,
Anyway, eventually your plane crashes and you go searching for your team mates, following a strict, linear pathway filled with scripted events. Within 20 minutes, I was then getting bored. It shouldn't take so long before you get to shoot something, but that seems to be the case here.

 One small step for man, One giant leap for the Fuhrer

But when you finally do get to kill Nazi's in a heated blaze of bullets riddling upon their flesh, that's when it's at it's best. But for the first half of the supremely lengthy campaign, the gunplay is placed "here and there" with linear pathways, scripted events and climbing through ventilation shafts taking up the majority of the gameplay. I couldn't help but feel the creators must have been inspired by Half Life judging by the way this game was paced and that would have been fine if it was a whole new IP. But this is Wolfenstein and most of the game didn't feel very..."Wolfenstein". I also found the game very "cutscene-heavy" as it felt like every corridor-end and every turn led to a cutscene. I'm all for games with a serious focus on story, just not a game about a beefcake american carrying 20+ guns at once, gunning down an army of Hitler fanatics. It got to the point where I felt the story was so pointless in being there that I was skipping the cutscenes. At times I also felt myself comparing the experience to Gearboxes' ill-fated Alien: Colonial Marines. 

While many will agree Colonial Marines was a garbage Alien game, I felt it was a great entry in the modern-day old-skool shooter. With dozens of weapons at your disposal and plenty of enemies to gun down for your enjoyment. The health system in Wolfenstein: TNO was also pretty similar, letting you pick up Nazi armour and helmets and such to improve BJ's protection. I like this approach and hope more gamed adopt it.

But aye, in a nutshell, Wolfenstein: The New Order was somewhat disappointing for me as a Wolfenstein game. I felt it wasn't a return to form for Wolfenstein but rather a new lease of life for the ageing IP. As a general FPS, I found it to be enjoyable and fun. With a huge focus on singleplayer that isn't seen much in todays generation of gaming. Machine Games recently hinted that they'd like to do a sequel and despite my disappointment, I would happily welcome a sequel. 

But we're not done yet.....

When I finished The New Order, I decided to dust off the 2009 Wolfenstein game and one again play through it's campaign, for the sake of comparison. To give you a idea on which one I found "funner" as a Wolfenstein game - 5 minutes into the 2009 game and I was already having more fun killing Nazi's here than TNO. Bosses on the other hand were shit in the 2009 iteration.

But I sort of preferred BJ's personality in the 2009 game. There was some humour mixed in with the seriousness of the game's situation. While TNO's BJ is a more realistic personality for a man damaged physically and mentally in war, Wolfenstein hasn't exactly been known for being "realistic". I don't know, everyone will have their preference surely. Some might prefer a "mute" BJ ala Wolfenstein 3D. 

Speaking of 3D, the homage to the original game in TNO was probably the best thing there, It reminded me of the secret ID loot rooms in RAGE, except..you could actually play the fucking level!!!

Would happily play a whole game of this.

I also prefer the supernatural theme in Wolfenstein over the TNO's robot theme. I'd like to imagine the Nazi's in the game were more of a mass-numbered cult instead of a Post-World War II Skynet. 

I couldn't care for any of the side characters in either of the games and no amount of drama and intensity will change that. I like my Wolfenstein with a side order of blood and death. 

Before I finally get round to finishing this half-assed Blog post, I need to know another thing about TNO. What the fuck was up with Caroline Becker's super-suit? She shows up near the end, kicks some Nazi machine to the ground, able to walk in a modern-looking suit reminiscent of Isaac Clarke's from Dead Space. I felt that suit wasn't explained all too much in it's short screen time. 

But oh well. I meant to post this weeks ago, but I didn't finish it and lost motivation. Kinda just re-did it all tonight to finish it. Regardless, what's your favourite Wolfenstein game? Be sure to let me know in the comments below.

 This is the face of Justice.

No rest for the Living - My life currently.

Oh hello there, looks like your reading another one of my blog posts - that's right, I'm just going to assume you read the other ones before this. You didn't? Well bloody do it then.
Then again, why would you want to read about my life. What makes my life so damn interesting. Anyway I'm not gonna beat you with a stick if you want to stay and read.

My life - it's currently busy. Remember when I made that previous blogpost about job searching? Of course you do. Funnily enough, I completed my job-searching quest only a few weeks later and now currently work in an Airport that I have some trouble getting to at times.

So now comes the "point" in this blog post. What am I doing with my life or more precisely, trying to do with my life. The same shit I was doing before the job. Just basic things like seeing the Lady, spending time with the friends that actually matter and running a Youtube page. Though now with the job and entering the "adult life" like everyone else, I now have almost zero times for creative endeavours. Now don't get me wrong, I'm still making Youtube videos but not as progressively or on a weekly basis - only when I can be bothered and lets be honest, that's only my days off. But at the end of the day, at least I'm still trying, right?

So what can you expect from my silly little page in the future - Comics! More Comics!!! So much pages of super-heroic faffing about, filled with itty-gritty storylines and brooding dialogue as well as no conclusions - EVER!!! Just the occasional reboot. Still, it's the main focus of my channel and what I enjoy doing. Can I act in them - well, no. Or at least I think not because I have to put up with my dull and drab voice everyday but I don't mind it any more when I hear it recorded and played back because I'm a "mature professional-adult" who takes his projects seriously (that's not quite true). But the next two comics, like Space Detective are from the Golden-Age era of Comics with the titles being "Cat-Man" and "Daredevil".

 I mean, just look at him, with a colour change, he looks just like Batman.

What about Cat-man? Well he's not like Batman at all. His parents died in a car crash and he was raised by a Tigress. Somehow this tigress is magical in that it can bring him back to life, should he be stupid enough to jump into any laser beams...

Oh wait...(Silly Cat)

So expect that at some point, as soon as I get the last few voices done and edit it all together with music and sound effects to make the whole video longer, sexier and give your ears that euphoric orgasm it so desperately craves after having the latest radio tunes pumped into them. 

Since he reminds me of Batman, you can expect a poor-mans Batman impression in the final video. It sucks and I know it does. But am I going to change it. Haha - no, enjoy ;)

So what of Daredevil? I bet you got all excited and thought "finally, a comic character I know". Well I hate to be the voice of disappointment...no wait, I do! It isn't Marvel's more popular character Daredevil known to jump from building and wear red spandex - who was also played by Ben Affleck in a okayish movie. No, it's this guy...

This is the original non-marvel Daredevil

What can I say about him? Well he sort of looks like Deathstroke except with a shit-tonne more personality. The first issue shows him to be a little sly dog who manages to sneak his way into a Nazi base with the intentions of fucking up Hitler. Also yeah, this guy beats up Hitler..that's cool.

I bet your thinking "But Scott, we want something modern". I'm sure you do, but there's this little thing called "copyright" where I need permission to do so. But you know what I'm gonna do (eventually)? I'm gonna climb on my high horse, lift my head up and say YOLO. With the shit tonne of personal comics and graphic novels I own as well as the increasingly growing collection online thanks to the Humble Bundle, I've got enough copyright character stories to use in the comic future. So..expect that. 

Some of the notable titles being Batman, Deadpool, Spider-man, My little Brony, Robocop, Transformers, Sons of Anarchy, The Walking Dead and more!!!

Want to do something other than sit there with your finger in your bum? If you have decent recording equipment and want to give it a try, you can email me. But I'll go on about that later. 

So overall, I'm liking my new job and despite being 21, I do miss my free-time and the adult-life is sucking away the majority of any free time, but I'm still intending to deliver videos because everyone needs a hobby I guess. Because we need things like "money" and "responsibility" and...well, stuff! Here and there I plan to do more than simply comics, when I have an idea. 

If you've been reading all of this and thinking "calm down Scott, it's just life" then you've been reading it all wrong and shame on you. I'm a happy man and just enjoy expressing my poor patter in the form of text rather than sit and do nothing. It feels good, but for today I'll use words like "liberating" and "orgasmic" to express how I feel when making ranty/talky/chatty blog posts. 

And since I've been blabbing about Youtube non-stop, why not be cool for once and give my page a subscribe. It means you get to watch any hokey video I make as soon as it's ready!

link: https://www.youtube.com/user/MK5Spartan666

And if your wanting to get involved in voice acting comics alongside myself, get messaging my e-mail address at: scottaburns@hotmail. Because collaboration is all the rage. 

And if you like following this blog, why not actually follow the blog itself as well as the following links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Scott_Burns_

Instagram: http://instagram.com/hairy_mary05

Tally Ho!  

Is DOOM, doomed? Not by a long shot!

Ah, DOOM. I have many a fond memories of blasting Imps, Pinkies, Cacodemons, Hell Knights and more! DOOM is an FPS game developed by ID Software and released in 1993.
Before DOOM came along and blew up in the world of gaming, ID created another game. A little FPS game where you escape imprisonment from a Nazi castle - it was called Wolfenstein 3D. A quirky, cool little shooter that didn't vary much in the way of enemies or weapons, but paved the way for more intriguing possibilities.

Thus, DOOM was created. The game has you as a lone marine battling hordes of demons that spawn from Hell. While it proved to be popular, it also gained a reputation for being highly controversial for it's nightmarish elements, satanic imagery and violence and parents were stepping in to stop their kids becoming an adult as they strafe, dodge and surface the onslaught of blood-gurgling, spine-tingling faces from below.
With the great graphical quality and extensive library of shooters we have today, you probably find that hard to believe...well it was the 90's is all I can say. It happened and a decade later, it continued and eventually died down.

But I'm not here to talk about DOOM's controversial aspects, I'm here to talk about the history and what's to come from DOOM now.

This poor soul has been waiting too long for the next DOOM

Along with Wolfenstein and DOOM, ID Software have also created Quake which went on to blow up further in the gaming industry with it's fast pace and enjoyable multiplayer mode, defining the birth of Online FPS games for the PC. The 90's were certainly the Highpoint for ID Software.

But like many Hollywood actors, beyond the 90's is when things began to decline a little. A new millennium meant a new era of games and gaming in general. In 2001, Return to Castle Wolfenstein was released - now fully 3D, it was a reboot of sorts for the Wolfenstein franchise and was received favourably. This eventually led to a sequel in the form of a game simply title "Wolfenstein" and it was largely ignored or simply passed by everyone without even a passing glance. 

I played it. It was actually a fun little game - the last boss was beyond hard and didn't consist of the old-skool ID videogame rule of "just blast the FUCK out of him" and instead relied on a little cunning, but you can't blame ID for trying to be a little bit original in 2009, an era where every game aspired to be Call of Duty. ID even tried it by forcing a terrible and unpopular multiplayer mode in their 2009 Wolfenstein (which is where the focus of most of the achievements lie).

Regardless of some flaws, I'd still recommend it.

As for Quake, Quake 2 became very popular in both the multiplayer gaming community and the modding community - the game being modded to create Half-Life even. Quake 3 was released eventually and focused only on the multiplayer aspect, pooling together a host of characters from all of ID Softwares IP's. It done away with the story element which at the time was okay since FPS games like Quake didn't have much in the way of story anyway. In 2005, Quake 4 released on PC and Xbox 360 as a launch game and received somewhat favourable reviews but mostly just passed by our radars as FPS games weren't all the rage at that point and a lot of people forgot Quake existed - only the fanboys/fangirls were eager for it. 

Maybe I'm just an ID Fanboy, but I'd still recommend Quake 4

Now, what of ID's flagship title, DOOM? DOOM for the most part is actually okay, DOOM 2 was released in in 1994 and was mostly the same game as DOOM except with bigger, more varied levels and a shit-load of new Demons to give you nightmares and stop you reaching your destination. But between DOOM 2 and DOOM 3 was a Decade-old gap! Yes, DOOM 3 was released 10 years later (fuck!) Regardless, DOOM 3 became a commercial and critical success to the company, but divided the fanbase for it's horror elements as well as the ability of switching between a gun or a flashlight - this was later sorted in 2012's DOOM 3: BFG Edition. 

It did everything in Dead Space before Dead Space existed

But what now? Despite these successes, ID Software weren't hitting hard like they did in the 90's. They weren't "making a difference" any more, just making games like any other companies. Part of me felt they weren't comfortable with that and I feel that's the thing with ID, they strive to do more than just "make games". In 2011, ID created a new IP in the form of RAGE. It was an open world shooter with RPG elements and felt like a fusion of both Fallout and Borderlands only, it failed to really capture the essence of both. Sure, it had the wasteland, but it was bland and everyone in it had little personality. There was tacked-on racing modes which while a little fun, they aren't for everybody and enemies and loot that don't re-spawn. Also there were some areas you couldn't go back to after completing a level. But overall it generally felt like an ID Software game at the time and the lacking of real ideas was showing, so between then and now, what's happened? 

Wolfenstein: The New Order was released just a couple of months ago and it blew up! People ate it up, loved it and appreciated the lack of multiplayer and focus on singleplayer and like some games on this list, ID used an external company to develop the game - in the end it paid off and Wolfenstein has shown ID that old-skool FPS games can STILL thrive in a modern world. But what about DOOM?

Well, With Quakecon just passed, those who attended got to see something the rest of us won't get to see in any form till 2015 - DOOM 4 Gameplay!!!

Except, that it's no longer being called DOOM 4 but simply - DOOM. Like DOOM 3, it's a reboot of the story which hopes to remind players what they loved about DOOM in the first place. And going by the fan reaction - they are certainly getting there. Fans who attended keep speaking about elements like "tonnes of demons", "carrying lots of guns at the same time", "strafing", "old-skool gameplay" and more. That alone has made me very excited. So what does this mean? 

ID Software have gotten their shit together and are going forward, with Wolfenstein and DOOM being successful, I would like to see them release a new Quake and complete the holy trinity! 

Until we have the next DOOM title though, please enjoy the teaser. [I should really make a drinking game out of the amount of times I've said DOOM]

I cream a little every time

So what now? We wait. We wait and we hope it turns out fun and fantastic. Regardless, I'll still buy it because 1) It's DOOM and 2) I'm a fanboy. Heck I even enjoyed the movie! 

Yes people, there was a movie! It isn't actually uncommon - it's arguable that more people know of the movie's existence than the game. After all it stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Karl Urban. 

*SPOILER ALERT*

Karl Urban totally kicks-ass as the Doom-Guy ;)

No satanic imagery included

While it's not bad, I have to always point out the missing elements of the movie that the DOOM games are recognised for. Firstly there's the satanic imagery - there is none of it, not even a wee pentagram. For Demons that are supposed to come from hell, there is nothing to suggest it, but that also brings me to my next point. The Story - It's no longer about aliens from hell but rather science experiments turning the people into monsters. I suppose that's more "logical"? But when has DOOM been regarded for being logically-correct? I'll tell you when - NEVER! My final point is the number of Demons - there just isn't that much. I suppose it must have something with the movie relying on practical monster effects. I for one am glad they did this as CGI begins to show itself more over time in comparison to practical effects, especially for a movie made in 2005. I am the sort of guy who leans more to practical effects in movies because I feel it is both scarier and more authentic. But still, you can't excuse the small amount of Demons which only consist of Zombies, Imps and a Hell Knight or two - oh and maybe a Rock (hurr-durr). The only reason I could see the lack of Demons was probably because Dwayne was filling his pockets up with the money (possibly). 

Regardless, I say it's worth a watch, but then again, I enjoy both great and shit movies - I guess I just like everything. 

So anyway, that's that for this blog post! Want more? Here's a couple of videos from a joint Youtube channel with my friends. Here we play through the first Episode of DOOM. If you enjoy be sure to subscribe for more DOOM and other videogames. 

Part 1 of Episode 1

Part 2 of Episode 1