Stubs - Revenge of the Creature

Revenge of the Creature (1955) Starring: John Agar, Lori Nelson, John Bromfield Directed by Jack Arnold Screenplay by Martin Berkeley, William Alland. Produced by William Alland. Black and White Run time: 82 minutes USA Horror, Science Fiction, 3-D

As with any successful film, Hollywood is only too happy to make a sequel. Given that The Creature from the Black Lagoon made a whopping $1.3 million at the box office, Universal was willing to make another two, as it turns out. (Given the times, the genre and the original budget $1.3 million was a lot of money.)

Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams (Xbox)

Silent Hill 2’s reputation for having one of the best video game narratives ever got me intrigued to play it, but for whatever reason I could never find an original PS2 copy. I did, however, happen upon an enhanced Xbox copy of the game and went for it, but still didn’t get around to it. With P.T. as my only frame of reference for Silent Hill, however, I felt more curious about Team Silent’s original take on the series and finally gave it a try. As it turns out, its narrative truly is one of the strongest I’ve ever seen in a video game, but it feels strange saying that the actual gameplay didn’t age very well.

Review Hub - Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

Ever since the first game dropped in 1999, the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series has captured the minds of many who simply want to skate and have fun, even inspiring some to pick up a board themselves. Of the games in the series, the most iconic are the installments developed by Neversoft, though following their switch to Guitar Hero and later closure, the series was handed over to Robomodo, with more divisive results than any of the Neversoft titles. As of a remaster of the first two games from Vicarious Visions, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, the series appears to be back in full swing, though only time will tell if it can maintain its regained luster.

Below is a list of links to every Pro Skater game review on this blog, organized in release order and separated by developer.

Neversoft

 

  

  

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
Tony Hawk's Underground
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Tony Hawk's Project 8
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground

Robomodo

 

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5

Vicarious Visions

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2

Stubs - Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein aka Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) Starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange Director: Charles Barton Screenplay by Robert Lees, Frederic I. Rinaldo, John Grant Produced by Robert Arthur Run time: 83 minutes. USA Black and White Horror, Comedy

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello had been together since working in Vaudeville. They first worked together in 1935 at the Eltinge Theatre on 42nd Street in New York City after Costello's partner fell ill. They formally teamed up in 1936. They are perhaps best known for their routine “Who’s On First?”  The pair came to Hollywood in 1940 and appeared in 36 films before breaking up in 1957. One of their best-known films is Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

A Celebration of 1100 Reviews

The 1100 milestone came a lot sooner than expected. In light of the Global 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, during which lockdowns in the US began circa our review of Darksiders: Genesis, our consumption of media dramatically increased, which led us to seek ways to burn off excess reviews, including mid-week video game reviews and week-long themed events. This somehow led to a surge in video game reviews, which make up a majority of this list, as the lockdown provided a perfect opportunity to go through our collective backlogs. Hopefully the same does not occur with the eventual 1200 milestone, though given that (as of this writing) a working vaccine for COVID-19 has yet to be found, we're not making any promises.

Below is a list of links to every review from 1001-1100, broken up every 25 links for easy navigation. Each review will also be color-coded as such: Movie, Video Game, DLC.

1-300. A Celebration of 300 Reviews

301-400. A Celebration of 400 Reviews

401-500. A Celebration of 500 Reviews

501-600. A Celebration of 600 Reviews

601-700. A Celebration of 700 Reviews

701-800. A Celebration of 800 Reviews

801-900. A Celebration of 900 Reviews

901-1000. A Celebration of 1000 Reviews

1001. 1917
1002. Frozen II
1003. Parasite
1004. Jojo Rabbit
1005. Sonic Generations (PS3)
1006. Sonic Mania Plus
1007. Sonic Forces (+ Episode Shadow)
1008. Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice
1009. Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (OVA)
1010. Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind + Concert Video
1011. Sonic the Hedgehog (Film)
1012. Slayer: The Repentless Killogy
1013. Recess: School's Out
1014. Darksiders III
1015. Darksiders Genesis
1016. Sabrina
1017. Concrete Genie
1018. Celeste (PS4)
1019. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
1020. Moss - Twilight Garden (DLC)
1021. Doom Eternal
1022. Gears 5
1023. Little Big Man
1024. TY the Tasmanian Tiger HD (Switch)
1025. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Dreamcast)

1026. Final Fantasy VII Remake
1027. Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost
1028. MediEvil (PS4)
1029. Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders
1030. AVICII Invector
1031. Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur
1032. Scoob!
1033. Donut County (Switch)
1034. Scooby-Doo
1035. Helltaker
1036. Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
1037. Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery
1038. Smart Money
1039. Delores: A Thimbleweed Park Mini-Adventure
1040. Employees' Entrance
1041. The Last of Us Remastered + Left Behind
1042. The Most Dangerous Game
1043. Transformers: War for Cybertron (PS3) (Second Look)
1044. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (PS3) (Second Look)
1045. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (PS3) (Second Look)
1046. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Second Look)
1047. Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (PS3) (Second Look)
1048. Heat Lightning
1049. Transformers: Devastation
1050. SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated (PS4)

1051. Little Nightmares: Secrets of the Maw (DLC)
1052. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
1053. Devolverland Expo
1054. Chicken Little (2005)
1055. Spec Ops: The Line
1056. Batman: The Killing Joke
1057. Star Fox Adventures
1058. Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie
1059. Final Fantasy VII (PS1)
1060. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (+ Complete)
1061. Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
1062. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
1063. Final Fantasy VII Remake (Second Look)
1064. Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins
1065. Ghost of Tsushima
1066. Kindergarten Cop
1067. Carrion
1068. The Emoji Movie
1069. Phineas and Ferb (Game)
1070. Phineas and Ferb Ride Again
1071. Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension
1072. Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension (PS3)
1073. Phineas and Ferb: Quest for Cool Stuff (360)
1074. Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe
1075. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (PS1)

1076. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (PS1)
1077. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (PS2)
1078. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 (PS2)
1079. Tony Hawk's Underground (PS2)
1080. Mulan (1998)
1081. Tony Hawk's Underground 2 (PS2)
1082. Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (PS2)
1083. Tony Hawk's Project 8 (PS3)
1084. Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (PS3)
1085. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 (PS4)
1086. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (PS4)
1087. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD (PS3)
1088. Batman: Year One
1089. Zone of the Enders (PS2)
1090. Captured
1091. Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner M∀RS (PS4)
1092. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
1093. Resident Evil 7 Teaser Demo: Beginning Hour (+ Kitchen Demo)
1094. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
1095. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard DLC (Banned Footage Vol. 1 and 2 + Not A Hero + End of Zoe)
1096. A Rainy Day in New York
1097. White Zombie
1098. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
1099. The Curse of the Cat People
1100. P.T.

Movies: 39 (720 Total)
Video Games: 58 (332 Total)
Comic Books: 0 (27 Total)
DLC: 3 (21 Total)

P.T.

Back on August 12, 2014, Konami released a mysterious game called P.T., developed by the equally mysterious 7780s Studio. Within mere hours, however, players quickly discovered that P.T. was actually a teaser for Silent Hills. In spite of the enthusiasm for the title, however, an internal struggle between Konami and Hideo Kojima led to the game’s cancellation, then P.T.’s delisting and deletion in 2015. This move instantly made P.T. rare and elusive and the Silent Hill series is seemingly abandoned, with no new full entries since 2012’s Silent Hill: Downpour, the eighth main installment, and Silent Hill: Book of Memories, a dungeon crawler spinoff released for the PlayStation Vita. Since I still own a copy of P.T., but never got around to talking about it, I figured that now’s as good a time as any, especially since the experience still holds up as a masterpiece of horror.

Stubs - The Curse of the Cat People

The Curse of the Cat People (1944) Starring: Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph, Ann Carter and Sir Lancelot. Directed by Gunther von Fritsch and Robert Wise. Produced by Val Lewton. Screenplay by DeWitt Bodeen. Run time: 70 minutes. USA Black and White. Fantasy, Horror.

Following the success of Cat People, RKO wanted to make a follow-up. While Cat People can be stretched to call it a little h horror film, the sequel that was made, The Curse of the Cat People, is more Fantasy than anything really scary.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

After having become a Crash Bandicoot fan through the N. Sane Trilogy remaster, and having played Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, I was curious what direction Activision might take the IP after having remastered all four of the original Naughty Dog titles, since I was aware of the other games that came afterwards. This question was answered when Activision and developer Toys for Bob announced Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, presenting itself as a direct sequel to Crash Bandicoot: Warped that returns to the original style of gameplay while also low-key addressing the other titles with the premise of alternate dimensions. Due to the later micro-transaction implementation that occurred with Nitro-Fueled, which severely affected the overall experience in a negative way, my expectations were admittedly tempered for Crash Bandicoot 4 as a result, though I was still curious as to what direction the game would take itself. Upon getting to actually play it, it exceeded those expectations, however in what felt like an attempt to one-up the original trilogy, it did feel unnecessarily difficult at times.

Stubs - White Zombie

White Zombie (1932) Starring: Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, Joseph Cawthorn Directed by Victor Halperin Screenplay by Garnett Weston Inspired by The Magic Island (1929 novel) by William Seabrook Produced by Edward Halperin Black and White Run Time: 68 minutes. USA Horror

Bela Lugosi had once been a matinee idol back in his native Hungary and later Broadway. He played the part of Dracula in a 1927 stage adaptation of Bram Stocker’s novel and his life would never be the same again. After playing Dracula in the Universal 1931 film of the same name, he would find himself typecast. He would appear in other films, but he is best remembered now for his horror film roles. Some films would be more memorable than others. One that he might have liked to forget was White Zombie.

Stubs - A Rainy Day in New York

A Rainy Day in New York (2019) Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez, Jude Law, Diego Luna, Liev Schreiber. Directed by Woody Allen. Screenplay by Woody Allen. Produced by Letty Aronson, Erika Aronson. USA Run time: 92 minutes. Color. Romantic Comedy

Woody Allen has gone from a loveable schlub to a pervert in the eyes of many based on an unfounded claim of incestual pedophilia. Having read his autobiography, Apropos of Nothing (2020), I’m more convinced than ever of his innocence but in the age of #MeToo, even unproven allegations are enough to derail a career. Ask Al Franken about that as well.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard DLC (Banned Footage Vol. 1 and 2 + Not A Hero + End of Zoe)

When I first played Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, I was aware of the additional Banned Footage DLC that came out after the game’s launch. However, I wasn’t willing to spend $25 at the time to play them and wouldn’t get a chance myself until the Gold Edition re-release had them, plus End of Zoe, on the disc. As part of my deep dive into Resident Evil 7 for a proper review, I naturally revisited the game's DLC, but did so in rough chronological order. Since this was a second playthrough, it actually worked out pretty well.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Note: This review contains spoilers for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.

Prior to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Biohazard 7: Resident Evil in Japan), I was aware of the franchise and even tried to play Resident Evil 4, but got distracted by other titles and never got back around to it. As I saw more information about Biohazard however, and even played the demo, I was interested in the direction Capcom had taken with the franchise and played it when it came out. Despite my general aversion to horror at the time, I played this game when it came out and got hooked on the central mystery and atmospheric nature of the horror. However, I didn’t actually give it a proper review and thought that in the spirit of October, it was time to rectify that with a look at Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Gold Edition, which still holds up three years later.

Resident Evil 7 Teaser Demo: Beginning Hour (+ Kitchen Demo)

The first info I saw about Resident Evil 7: Biohazard intrigued me enough that when PlayStation Plus subscribers got early access to the Beginning Hour demo, I figured I’d give it a shot. My experience at the time left me wanting more, but then, in a surprising twist, the demo updated twice and I returned both times to witness the changes. These updates, Twilight Ver. and Midnight Ver., gave me a greater idea of what to expect and convinced me to take the plunge on the full game. Now, as part of a deep dive into Resident Evil 7 for a proper review, I decided to look back on Beginning Hour Midnight Ver. to not only get back into the story, but also see just how effective it still is.

Stubs - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) Starring Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart Directed by Rouben Mamoulian. Screenplay by Samuel Hoffenstein, Percy Heath. Based on the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (London, 1886). Producer: Adolph Zukor (Presents) Run time: 98 minutes. United States Black and White Pre-code Horror

Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish-born writer who lived between 1850 and 1894. He is best remembered for such books as Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The latter of the two is one of the most adapted stories in film history, with nearly 123 different versions made since Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1908), produced by William N. Selig. By the time Paramount made their version in 1931, 14 other films had been produced in the U.S., the UK, Denmark, and Germany.