Gonna be dabbling in multiple games at a time just because I'm indecisive and have lots of games I need to beat. So here's what I'm playing right now:

Final Fantasy III on the SNES: Final Fantasy VI is the actual title, but on the SNES it was only the 3rd FF game in the USA (as many gamers already know). It is undoubtedly my favorite Final Fantasy game and although I played a port of it on the Gameboy Advance when I saw a used copy of the SNES version at the store I just couldn't pass up playing it as it was originally intended.

Banjo-Kazooie (Nintendo 64): Never got around to beating this game and seriously need to. I think Kazooie is awesome.

State of Decay (Xbox 360): An open world zombie game that is selling like mad on Xbox Live Arcade. Really a fun game that beats the odds and manages to be fun in an over zombie saturated market.

That's what I'm playing now, and I'll give short reviews on any games I finish. If anyone wants to hit me up on Xbox Live go right ahead!

I've wasted too much time and far too much money on useless endeavors that seem to have only crippled my life's pursuits. I was too naive to see that I devoted time and money into something that has only crippled me in the long run. It was stupid and I wish I hadn't thrown so much of my life into the gutter...I don't know how I can ever make that back.

Alien, first released in 1979, is a film that encompasses all that is great in science-fiction. The film would launch the careers of director Ridley Scott and actress Sigourney Weaver and later spawn three sequels, and two Aliens Vs. Predator movies I'll pretend never existed . At the heart of the series' success is the H.R. Giger designed sets and the titular Alien: a creature that has stood the test of time as one of the most iconic figures in science-fiction.

What exactly is the Alien of Scott's film? An iconic movie monster for sure, but I don't think many truly grasp the creature as it was intended. In short I can describe the titular alien in two words: Beautiful Nightmare. From the moment it is born the Alien is a killer. In maturity the alien is a monster that preys on the lives of men and women, yet has such a striking appearance, and grace to its movements that one cannot look away from. It lies in wait at every dark corner, blending seamlessly into its surrounding, observing your every movement until the time is right and it emerges from its veil. The Alien of Ridley Scott's film is a seductive creature, never taking action unless it is required, never allowing itself to be revealed to its prey until it is too late for the crewmember(s) of The Nostromo to resist, at which point the creature takes its time with its kill.

Giger's creature design is a fascinating blend of organic and inorganic. A skeletal body lacking any traces of fat or muscle, pipe-like extensions sprouting from its back, and various ports and wire-like patterns tracing its body as if it had been attached to a machine, an elongated phallic shaped head without eyes with chrome fangs, with a secondary, flaccid set of jaws within its primary jaws which could stiffen and deliver killing blows like the piston of a machine, the xenomorph was unlike any monster ever seen on film before. It is as much at home in the vents and pipes of man's machinery as it would be in any natural environment.

By nature the xenomorph is similar to the opening title card of Alien where line segment by line segment the title of the film slowly is revealed. The entire movie's presentation relies heavily on the build-up to the startling events making what could be an otherwise standard sci-fi/horror movie into a real piece of art. First and foremost that is what the xenomorph is as a monster: Art. A creature that is both startlingly real in presentation due to the special effects team, yet also surreal in how Giger's design creeps into the viewer's mind, creeping into a deep part of the subconscious which Freud would have a field day with.

It is also a curious creature that toys with its prey, and observes things in detail. When encountering Jonesy – the crew's cat – the Alien does not attack the feline, but instead chooses to closely observe it. When alone in the escape pod with Ripley at the film's climax the creature hardly moves, blending into the pipes and machinery of the small spacecraft, observing Ripley. The Alien's mostly motionless moments with Ripley can be attributed to many interpretations of the story, but I believe the Alien knew Ripley had nowhere to go and chose to observe rather than to kill. Ultimately the "perfect organism" is overcame by one woman's resilience and bravery (I believe it was only fitting that a female character puts an end to a monster that embodies inner fears regarding sexuality).

Alien gave audiences a creature that was more than a simple shrieking beast that leaped from the shadows. Here the monster preyed as much on the crewmembers of the The Nostromo as it did on audience member's sexual insecurities. Ridley Scott wanted to emphasize the sexual aspects of the script, creating a creature who orally rapes victims before causing them to die in a perversion of childbirth. It was different both in execution, and visual design, as the monster was as much a symbol as it was something that goes bump in the night.

A sequel to Alien wouldn't come until 1986 with Aliens, a movie written and directed by James Cameron, who had just finished The Terminator and was also writing the script for Rambo First Blood Part 2. Aliens was met with universal praise and today is considered one of the definitive science-fiction movie, but how well does it fair as a sequel to Alien?

Aliens picks up decades after the events of Alien with the Nostromo's escape pod finally being found. Sigourney Weaver was back as Ellen Ripley (one of Weaver's Oscar nominated performance) and the plot concerned a return to the planet where the Nostromo first encountered the alien organism. A human colony has gone dark on that same planet and Ripley goes along with a crew of space marines to deal with it only to find that the colony has been overrun by xenomorphs. Ripley becomes a surrogate mother to a young girl who is the last survivor of the colony and ultimately becomes solely responsible for dealing with the xenomorph threat.

I consider Aliens to be one of the greatest action movies of all time, but for me it just isn't a true sequel to Alien. Symbolism, atmosphere, build-up, and mystery are exchanged for machine gunfire and explosions. Aliens has a lot of gunplay, and a lot of "aliens" but very little Alien in its DNA. Audiences embraced James Cameron's xenomorphs because their insect hierarchy was something any audience member could understand. The masses wanted more space marines, more of Sigourney Weaver dispatching aliens single handedly; Not a study of fear featuring a creature which was intelligent and not fully comprehensible by human minds (in short: a true alien).

The alien (the species became known as xenomorphs at this point in time due to an offhand piece of dialogue by one of the characters) who once was a figure shrouded by shadow and mystery became insects, grounding them in Earth logic, and biological reasoning. Now the xenomorphs were ruled over by a Queen, with the standard alien becoming a simple drone that would run mindlessly into hails of bullets, attacking with swarm tactics, and dying by the hundreds just trying to get to eight humans. All semblances of the first film's sexual overtones is removed in Cameron's sequel. The shimmering monster now was ridged in design, removing much of the sexuality of the design. The switch from dome to ridges was to increase durability during action scenes. A fitting example of how Cameron's mind works in comparison to Scott's and Giger's.

Let us take a moment to analyze how the creature kills. Each of the deaths in Alien occur with the creature using a radically different approach than its previous attacks. First it kills as a parasite (Facehugger and Chestburster), once it begins attacking characters one by one: first using stealth to sneak behind a crew member, and then again as an ambush predator. It is here that it establishes the alien an opportunistic killer. But then it subverts this in the final act when instead of going after the solitary Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) it instead displays its physical capabilities in attacking two crew members at once.

How do the xenomorphs of Aliens kill? They swarm, and act as parasites. Very basic space insects without any sign of intelligence. People will always say (as the movie does itself) "But they cut the power". I have to ask: How? They show little to no intelligence outside of that and the Queen learning an elevator. The creature from the first film would never have run blindly into machine gun fire, especially after having several members of its kind already killed.

These masses who call themselves fans believe the ultimate Alien movie would be an Earth infestation or a visit to the alien home world. Why? Because both of those scenarios entail an abundance of alien killing time. People who want to Earth Infestation plot truly wish to push the franchise into becoming Space Zombies, which is something I am completely against.

The first one was scary because you never knew how much it knew. In fact, Ridley Scott's original ending was that it would kill Riley and then imitate her voice in a message. That sounds silly, but it does show that in the original the Alien was supposed to be more intelligent than the crew gave it credit. It is far more frightening to be stalked by a killer that doesn't have set rules.

For me that is what horror is all about: the unknown. It is frightening to not know everything about your foe, and to be incapable of predicting a pattern in its behavior. Alien is a great example of Lovecraftian horror wherein humans stumble across a being they don't comprehend. Aliens is all about having easy comprehension of the creature in order to skip to gun play.

That's all I have to say about that, for now.

Alan Wake on Xbox Live is up for download for an amazing price of $4.99 (all expansions and the Arcade title Alan Wake's American Nightmare are also on sale). I let this 360/Windows PC exclusive game slip by for years after its release, until this sale had me ask "Why not?"

Four levels in I am positively hooked. This is a unique horror/thriller game that puts me on the edge of my seat. How do you describe this? It's like if you mixed a Steven King book with David Lynch's Twin Peaks. And its awesome! I love the tone, I love the writing, and I love the gameplay.


If you have a 360 and $5 I don't see any reason to pass this one up.

I wasn't sure that J.J. Abrams and his crew would be able to pull off another success with this franchise. The 2009 Star Trek reboot was a surprise hit with audiences and critics that no one really saw coming. When I first saw the trailer for that film I thought I was looking at a last desperate attempt to make Star Trek relevant. Much to my surprise I ended up applauding at the end of the reboot. It was fast paced, well-acted, and visually extraordinary- the most entertaining space opera to hit the big screens since the original Star Wars trilogy. More importantly, it managed to breathe new life into the Star Trek franchise. Trek was cool, and except for some Trek purists out there, everyone applauded the film.

Now 4 years have passed. There is now a high expectation on a Trek film that was not placed on the 09 entry. I had my doubts. Star Trek 2009 was a surprise; a great blockbuster that few saw coming. Into Darkness rides in four years later and had to meet expectations set by the 09 film...And it did!

Star Trek Into Darkness is what a quality summer blockbuster and sequel should be. It doesn't slow itself down at any points and gets straight to what the audience cares about. Character development and interactions are handled in such a way that the film never gets boring, and the narrative moves forward without many stalls. At times I found myself on the edge of the seat, and throughout the entire film I legitimately felt for the characters and wanted to know how the conflict would be resolved. This movie knows how to take a basic plot and transform it into Grade-A entertainment.

We cannot address Into Darkness without discussing its villain. Many complained about the blue collar villain Nero in the '09 Trek (I personally enjoyed him, but the masses have spoken) and we do get a vastly superior antagonist in the form of Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock). Cumberbatch is a menacing, physically imposing, charismatic figure who easily dominates every scene he appears on screen for. In other words: everything Nero was not. Although I think some Trek purists may complain about this character for spoiler related matters I think most viewers will just accept him for the outstanding performance.

The only fault I can think of is that the film isn't any larger in scale than the previous...In fact, given the last one's villain was destroying entire planets, Into Darkness may be somewhat of a step back in scale. But this movie didn't need to be like The Dark Knight where each film raises the stakes. As a continuation of a long running franchise Into Darkness is exciting, has genuine humor, suspense, visual spectacle, superb action, and character moments. It is what every popcorn film should strive to be.

Of course, some fans will complain over the emphasis on action over political intrigue and such. I get it, I love that stuff in the show, but we just have to accept that we're dealing with two different mediums. If you're going to make a blockbuster movie you have to appeal to the masses, and Abrams Star Trek movies do it incredibly well.

If you are one of those Star Trek purists who cannot accept the changes made in the 2009 reboot you're better off steering away from this entry as it will probably give you more to gripe about. But if you're a casual Trek fan like me who loved the 2009 film you will not be disappointed.

4.5/5 Stars

P.S. I actually got into a press screening of this a day before its release but was feeling pretty sick so didn't get around to commenting on the film until now :c

Not gonna skip around the bush. I've found myself saddled with a crippling amont of self-doubt lately and it has seriously been eating into my ability to perform. Writing keeps falling flat, and when I try to explain my ideas to colleagues I get tongue tied and completely fail to deliver my intended point.

It's gotten really bad these past few months, and although it hasn't seemed to impact mandatory work as much as I feared it might I know for certain that its eaten away almost all my personal work output. The result is an unshakable sense of despair.

I don't know how to shake it, and I don't know how to push on with personal projects unless I can release that pressure...I just don't know what to do, so here I am posting about it on my little corner of the internet.

I have been subjected to ableism because of my Asperger's Syndrome. I don't know how to cope with this so I am shutting down. I do not nderstand why someone would demonize me for those things about myself I have dificulties with and...I can't...begin to comprehend how I feel.

they lied to me. they lied and keep lying. i cannot. cannot believe what ive read.

Unless your new guy friend also enjoys Paris. Then I guess that doesn't work so well.

Really late in commenting on it but might as well:

I love J.R.R. Tolkien's books and the Lord of the Rings movie adaptations but the added material in this attempt at making a Hobbit trilogy don't accomplish much other than stretching it into a 160 minute movie. I also hate the tonal inconsistencies: Switching between whimsical, swashbuckling action and then out of nowhere jumping into the more serious tone of Lord of the Rings battles. Its jarring.

Who created us?

This question, not matter what your personal beliefs may be, is a fantastic source to launch a story from. This is primary idea behind Ridley Scott's new science-fiction adventure Prometheus, the first entry of a proposed trilogy from the celebrated British director who brought us ALIEN, and Blade Runner. This story detailing a possible origin of mankind follows journey of a research team traveling in a spaceship years away from home in search of their creators. Prometheus is a fantastic looking movie set in the same fictional universe as Ridley Scott's sci-fi/horror classic ALIEN (1979) and uses the mythology suggested by Dan O'Bannon's original script to fashion an entirely new sci-fi adventure.

Prometheus is the name of a trillion dollar research vessel created by Weyland Industries. A science team along with an assorted group of professionals has been recruited to find a planet that has been depicted in numerous cave paintings back on earth. Dr Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace, Sweden's original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [2009]) , and her lover Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshal Green) leads the science team under the critical, cold gaze of Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron). It takes over two years for the Prometheus to reach LV-223, during which the human crew is watched over by David 8 (Michael Fassbender), a highly advanced robotic organism programmed to simulate human life. Once they arrive on LV-223 they discover a structure left behind by the previous inhabitants. There Shaw and her science team searches for the key to mankind's creation, but instead finds a weapon with the potential of destroying all life on Earth.

The break out character of the movie is Michael Fassbender as David 8. We meet David going about his daily routines while the rest of the crew is asleep in one of the best scenes the movie offers in ways of character development. David eats, watches over the crew, plays basketball by himself, learns new languages, and memorizes lines from his favorite movie, Lawrence of Arabia. Here's how I'd describe this character: Imagine if HAL9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey could take human form; if you could see him actually grappling and occasionally hinting at signs of having developed genuine emotions. That is David 8.

As Elizabeth Shaw Noomi Rapace's first leading role in an English-language movie begins shaky, but by the end of the movie she's hit her stride, bringing Elizabeth Shaw to life. Her performance lacks the subtle nuance of her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but it does pack a punch. By the end of the film she does firmly step into her heroine shoes. Charlize Theron's outing as Meredith Vickers is another strong female role who despite not being as well developed as Shaw does carry a strong screen presence with her icy, professional demeanor. Her cut and dry business ethic perfectly clashes with the more investigative, adventuresome Shaw.

A character I liked that not many people talk about as much is the Prometheus's Captain Janek, an underutilized character who had more potential than the movie allowed him. He starts off as an outsider to the worlds of Shaw, Vickers ,and the expedition, but by the end has completely devoted himself to it.

Ridley Scott's stylish direction played a huge part in cementing ALIEN and Blade Runner as two of the movie world's science-fiction masterpieces and there is no doubt that Prometheus is a great looking movie. When Ridley Scott does science-fiction he knows how to make it look right, and that still holds true thirty years after Blade Runner. The full-scale sets are fantastic, there are plenty of great special effects. You shouldn't wait to see this movie on your home television: it needs to be seen on a big screen.

That brings me to 3D. I saw this movie in IMAX 3D, and it is one of the best movies I've seen in 3D...That being said I still fail to see why on earth anyone cares about 3D. I've given Coraline, Avatar, TRON: Legacy, Hugo, and Prometheus a fair chance to dazzle me with this recent development in this "exciting" technology (see: ticket price raising). These are some of the best movies to see 3D in, and yes they look good, but all of them I've also enjoyed just as much, if not better in 2D. If you really are obsessed with 3D then yes, knock yourself out, you're going to have a blast because as far as 3D is concerned Prometheus does make better use of the technology than most other films in the post Avatar boom. But, if you're like me and still aren't sold on 3D this movie will not be an eye opener.

The most important thing one needs to understand before sitting down for Ridley Scott's Prometheus: this is NOT an Alien movie. It takes place in the same universe as Alien, has visual elements of Alien, has locations and even the fledgling evolutionary stage of what will become the monsters of the 1979 classic, but alone Prometheus is not a straight-up ALIEN prequel. Prometheus is a standalone science-fiction adventure, and it is one that in my humble opinion works extraordinarily well. Ridley Scott announced he intends Prometheus to be the first part of a science-fiction trilogy set within the Alien universe. That means you should expect H.R. Giger's infamous monsters to be leaping around. This movie is about the creation of man, with the creation of what ultimately becomes the xenomorphs by the time the Nostromo arrives at LV-426 in the first Alien movie.

Do not go into Prometheus expecting a direct ALIEN prequel. End of story.

I feel I need to clarify that Prometheus is not an Alien movie because too many disappointed, annoyed, or downright angered reviewers are coming down hard on Prometheus for not filling the shows, or delivering the same goods of Ridley Scott's 1979 classic. To go in expecting another Alien movie would be to set yourself up for disappointment. This is Prometheus, part 1 of a new science fiction trilogy. It is not Ridley Scott's ALIEN 2 Electric Boogaloo.

At times Prometheus is a bit in over its head with the scope of its ambition, but at the same time I love this idea of searching for a possible extra-terrestrial root to man's DNA. Sure, the plot has been done several times in books, but only a few times in movies, and I honestly feel Prometheus has done a better job of it than does other films.

Prometheus isn't ALIEN but it is a damn good first step for what could be a great new series. For what it's worth: I loved Prometheus. Even with its flaws.

Here's to the hopes of a brilliant trilogy from Sir Ridley Scott!

Have been working a lot with movie reviews, critique, analysis, and all that good stuff for the past two weeks. Its been intense, but it feels good to be actively writing again.