games

953 – Saints Row IV (2013 video game)

joc-pc-deep-silver-saints-row-iv-178770Saints Row IV is an open world action-adventure video game with third-person shooter elements developed by Volition and published by Deep Silver. It is the fourth title in the Saints Row series. In the game, the playable character is the leader of the 3rd Street Saints, a street gang that has become the world’s most powerful and popular organization, and must fend off an alien invasion after becoming President of the United States and receiving superpowers.

The player is free to explore their environment while completing main and side missions at their leisure. The game incorporates elements from science fiction video games and films, and continues the series’ reputation for over-the-top parody. It was released in August 2013 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, and was later ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Linux in 2015.

The game is set in a nearly identical simulation of Steelport, the fictional city setting from Saints Row: The Third, though individual story missions have new, custom-designed levels. 

Saints Row IV‘s story parodies science fiction video games, especially Mass Effect 2, as well as films like The Matrix and Zero Dark Thirty, and other “nerd culture”. Some story missions are propelled by individual characters’ existential crises, as each Saint character is stuck in a personal simulation of their own hell, and must be rescued by the player. Other elements borrowed from video game culture include BioWare-style character romances games and a Metal Gear-style mission with an unhelpful partner.

Saints Row IV received several limited and summative edition releases, and was briefly banned in Australia.

System Requirements (Minimum) CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 | AMD Athlon II x3. / OS: Windows Vista (x86 or x64) / VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GTX 260 | AMD Radeon HD 5800 series. / FREE DISK SPACE: 10 GB. / DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 896 MB.

steam

movies

0944 – Ghosts of Mars (2001)

timespace coordinates: (84% terraformed) MARS, 2176 A.D.

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Ghosts of Mars is a 2001 American science fiction action horror film written, directed and scored by John Carpenter. The film stars Natasha HenstridgeIce CubeJason StathamPam GrierClea DuVall, and Joanna Cassidy.

Responding to the criticism towards the film in his autobiography, Carpenter stated he was intentionally trying to make Ghosts Of Mars as over-the-top and tongue-in-cheek as possible. He claimed he was trying to make a mindless and silly, yet highly entertaining and thrilling, action flick where “the universe allows its characters and plot points to be silly without becoming full-fledged comedies”, akin to 80’s movies like Commando, Rambo: First Blood Part 2, and Predator. Looking back on the film and its criticism, he stated he was frustrated that most people thought the film was meant to be a serious horror movie, and feels that he should’ve made the film more openly comedic and “in on the joke”, saying “I have no power over what critics say, but when people complained about the movie being campy and not scary…the name of the movie is Ghosts Of Mars, I figured the campiness would be self-explanatory.” (wiki)

imdb

animation, movies

901 – Mowgli (2018)

timespace coordinates: 1850s British Raj

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (also known and stylized on screen simply as Mowgli) is a 2018 fantasy adventure film directed by Andy Serkis based on stories collected in All the Mowgli Stories by Rudyard Kipling. The film stars Rohan ChandMatthew Rhys, and Freida Pinto, along with voice and motion capture performances from Christian BaleCate BlanchettBenedict CumberbatchNaomie Harris, and Serkis. (wiki)

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‘Mowgli’: A wildly impressive — and very dark — version of ‘The Jungle Book’

imdb

movies

0895 – Venom (2018)

e453aa8143adfaf6a9dd036b981ea1f5Venom is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, it is the first film in Sony’s Marvel Universe, adjunct to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Ruben Fleischer, it stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock / Venom, alongside Michelle WilliamsRiz AhmedScott Haze, and Reid Scott. In Venom, journalist Brock gains superpowers after being bound to an alien symbiote whose species plans to invade Earth. The film released in the 30th Anniversary year of Venom’s debut in Marvel comics (May 1988).

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The film was primarily inspired by the comic miniseries Venom: Lethal Protector (1993) and story arc “Planet of the Symbiotes” (1995). (wiki)

The filmmakers cite the films of horror directors John Carpenter and David Cronenberg as an influence on the film, as well as the horror comedy films An American Werewolf in London (1981) and Ghost Busters (1984).

Venom_(film)_poster_012Future

imdb

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At the end of the closing credits, a preview of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse(2018) appears.

movies, series

886 – The Predator (2018)

ca0bd049359763.58b2bd364fb88The Predator is a 2018 American science fiction action comedy film directed by Shane Black and written by Black and Fred Dekker. It is the fourth installment in the Predator film series, a sequel to Predator (1987), Predator 2 (1990) and Predators (2010). Black had a supporting role in the original film, while John Davis returns as producer from the first three installments.

The film stars Boyd HolbrookTrevante RhodesJacob TremblayKeegan-Michael KeyOlivia MunnThomas JaneAlfie Allen, and Sterling K. Brown and follows a group of PTSD-afflicted soldiers who must fight off an invading pair of Predators.

predator-china-posterpredator-china-poster-2predator-china-poster-3predator-china-poster-4Atypical for a movie written by Shane Black, the film does not take place during Christmas but during Halloween.

Predator-Imp-1_1200_1681_81_sPredator-Imp-2_1200_1681_81_sPredator-Imp-3_1200_1681_81_sPredator-Imp-4_1200_1681_81_smovie posters by Spin Destiny


imdb

games

0863 – Time Commando (1996 Computer game)

timespace coordinates: 2020 @ the Historical Tactical Center > Prehistoric > Roman EmpireFeudal JapanMedievalConquistadorWild West, Modern Wars (World War I and supposedly World War III), Future (Stanley’s era) > inside the main computer (Virus World)

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Time Commando (originally released for the PC on 31 July 1996) is an action-adventure computer and video game developed by Adeline Software and published by Electronic Arts in Europe, Activision in America, and Virgin Interactive (PlayStation version) and Acclaim Entertainment (Sega Saturn version) in Japan. Time Commando was re-released for modern computer systems on 6 January 2012 by GOG.com. (wiki)

PSX Longplay