Dan Aykroyd on Ghostbusters’ 35th

“In 2019, you have to wonder if Walter Peck had a point–no one really knows what effects the Busters’ ghost containment system might have, and the team freely admits to wearing unlicensed nuclear accelerators on their backs. “It’s ironic, the EPA is supposed to do such good work, and they were the villains in the movie,” Aykroyd mused. “Now, some people feel the EPA are absolute villains, according to some of the assessments of their performance now, but I don’t know, we’ll see. It will all come out in the air we breathe, and the water we drink.”‘

You can read part 1 of my Dan Aykroyd interview at Gamespot

Part 2 is also available

How VR Roller Coasters Recreate a Lost Joy

“I adore tech, even if progress can be terrifying. The Wii’s motion controls were first to elicit a scare, requiring physicality beyond what was usually comfortable. Microsoft’s Kinect was too frequently unplayable for me. I’ve watched the creation of more active VR like the Virtuix Omni, allowing people to run in place as they play first-person games. Seeing videos of that almost becomes like an out-of-body projection. You envision yourself trying (and failing) to keep pace with the runner playing a military simulation. There is a fear tech will outpace what I can do.”

Read my full piece on UploadVR

Cinderella (2015) Blu-ray Review

“Disney’s streak of live action fairy tale adaptations can be branded as feminine super hero stories, where women use their internal resolve and might to thwart whatever the evil may be. Heroines are capable of battle without weapons or powers, only their instincts. Cinderella works even as the story may be derided for the “marry rich” subtext. This edition tweaks and lessens controlling dialog: “… if she wishes to marry the Prince,” instead of “will marry.” The touch is a clever modernization.”

Read my full review of Cinderella on Blu-ray at DoBlu

First Men in the Moon Blu-ray Review

“Space movies of the era (and still today) put the pressure against humanity. Don’t go; we will die. Asteroids, rogue planets, aliens. Anything out there exists inevitably to kill us down here. But First Men in the Moon puts us out there for the taking – nothing from space has any interest in us other than as a mere curiosity. When those beings find out what we are, how feeble we act toward our own, only then do these thinking creatures wish us harm. We’re not a valuable or interesting species to this race of Selenites. We are their immediate threat. The usual invasion parable is thus reversed, a thoughtful inclusion for such an otherwise light feature. It’s not scintillating material, but it remains interesting.”

Read my full Blu-ray review for First Men in the Moon at DoBlu

Guardians of the Galaxy (Theatrical) Review

“Maybe there is a sensibility we, the audience, have been trained and lured into this. So out there is Guardians, it tips the logistical scales with talking rodents and his tree compatriot. This is the side of Marvel’s comics they typically hid from mainstream audiences, where names such as the twisting Yondu Udonta and Korath are spoken with ease. Once, this film studio strove to make Iron Man a real entity – or at least as real as something of his ilk could be. They crafted Incredible Hulk into emotional metaphors of confusion, loss, and uncontrolled rage.

Now we have pro wrestler Dave Bautista in rusty make-up battling the green skinned Zoe Saldana. What a world.”

Read my full review of Guardians of the Galaxy at DoBlu

Knack (PS4) Review

“This is a punishing third-person adventure, soured by ill-conceived checkpoints and misalignment of dodge techniques. Knack embeds its retro dogma with malice, unapologetic about what audience it is trying to reach through gameplay. It is at odds with a softened, even rotund character aesthetic of a hero doctor and plucky adoptive adventurer who typically provide safe passage from Knack’s ill-advised decisions. Knack has the look of Saturday morning special and ferociousness of many NES greats. And, its rich violence mimics a Mike Tyson fight.”

Read my full Knack review at Blogcritics