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Now Playing: “Gamer”

Jeanne — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 05:15:10 +0000

Gamer hit theaters yesterday and I’m not sure how it will fare against the romantic comedy All About Steve but I’m guessing it will attract some curious movie-goers, especially since the cast is fairly impressive and includes Gerard Butler (300) and Michael C. Hall (Dexter).

image: Lionsgate

Last week, I speculated about whether this movie would make people more leery of the gaming community and technology so I’m hoping they present their storyline in a way that isn’t blatantly anti-gaming.

The film takes place in the future and humans are actually the pawns of online gamers who control their actions through mind-control technology. The whack job who created the program, Ken Castle (Hall), has taken it to the next level by introducing a first-person shooter game called Slayers which allows gamers to use their humans to act out their worst fantasies with people actually fighting to the death.

It’s all up to Kable (Butler), one of these prisoners, to save the world since he’s become a popular character among fans and tries to bank on the skills he has used (while being controlled) to reclaim his life and, of course, put an end to Castle’s craziness.

Post from: EveryJoe

“Gamer” Movie Giving Us a Bad Name?

Jeanne — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:11:43 +0000

Have you seen the previews for a movie called Gamer? I’m trying to be open-minded, especially since one of my favorite actors is in it (Michael C. Hall from Dexter) but no matter how I look at it, I end up either offended or annoyed.

image: Lionsgate

The film is about a future where gaming and entertainment have been fused into some awful hybrid and, of course, it’s got to be scary as hell. Multi-player online gamers are actual controlling other humans through mind-control technology that has been developed by billionaire, Ken Castle (Hall).

He takes things up a notch by created a first-person game called Slayers which, as you might imagine from the name, isn’t a good thing since it allows the gamer to act out their most savage fantasies online in front of the world. It’s all real and prisoners are actually fought to the death.

Insert Gerard Butler’s character, Kable, who is being controlled by a young gamer named Simon. Somehow,the kid is able to get his character through each week alive and he becomes a hero, of sorts. The sad part is that Kable has a family and in order to see them again (and free them), he’s got to live long enough to reclaim his life and take down Castle.

Honestly, I’m not very happy about this movie at all. There are already a large number of people out there who believe video games are the root of all evil and this is going to just give them even more ideas about how dangerous gaming can be.

What do you make of this film? I guess it all depends on how it ends but I just think it’s going to perpetuate a lot of negative myths about the gaming community.

Post from: EveryJoe

Coming Soon: “The Ugly Truth”

Jeanne — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:36:56 +0000

Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy) and Gerard Butler (300) co-star in The Ugly Truth which opens in theaters this Friday. In what’s meant to be a “battle of the sexes” type of movie, a “romantically challenged morning show producer (Heigl) is reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent (Butler) to prove his theories on relationships and help her find love.” As you might predict, it looks like they end up being attracted to each other.

image: Sony Pictures

I’m afraid that the only “ugly truth” about this How to Lose a Guy rip-off is that it’s going to be terrible. Early reviews have not been favorable (or even kind) and I think that I’ll have to wait until this comes to DVD. I’m sure viewers who are craving a romantic film in the middle of summer blockbuster season will head to the theater.

Post from: EveryJoe