Well 2011 was not so bad after all. It started out a little slow and as the year progressed picked up some steam along the way. Ultimately nothing that spectacular had taken place in 2011 that made me say “WOW”, as much as the anticipation of all the great and unfortunately not so great potential things to come in 2012. Well, I take that back for a second, Batman Arkham City was pretty fucking exciting and I did say “FUCKING WOW” when Casey Anthony skated on child murder charges like a Winter Olympic Pro. Sure we all had some cool new iphones, compact computers, apps, video games, and several movies that unfortunately turned out to be more “hype” than anything else. But considering the position Hollywood is in today EVERYTHING must be rebooted, made new, reinvented, ruined, and then drastically overhyped because sadly there is no more originality in the hearts and minds of the Film and Television Industry anymore. And sure we did have some drastic changes in the world’s political and economical structure in masses that may have made some think a little bit but not say “Hmmmmm”. Hell, with the way the cards have been falling all around us over the last five or six years it was no real surprise anyway.
So after some brief pondering which took me roughly about twenty minutes or so over a hot cup of Joe and a couple songs on the You Tube including the Doors “Riders on the Storm”, I came to the conclusion that my tastes have not changed much over the years. I’m still a pretty simple “meat and potatoes” kinda guy that is relatively easy to please. I enjoy the simple pleasures life has to bring like playing with my three kids (who in reality are my three beautiful dogs), a good nap, some quality TV time, a couple hours here and there hitting the video games, a good long drive, and hanging around with friends. However, a few things do tweak my interests from time to time and make me a little extra excited especially when they come to movies, video games, Harley Davidson Motorcycles, and Tattoo’s and 2012 does seem to have some nice tweaks I must admit. So here are a couple things I’m REALLY looking forward too this year.
HALO 4
Last time we saw John the “Master Chief” he was adrift in space on a pretty beat up ship about ready to go into a deep cryogenic stasis sleep. Cortana says “I’ll miss you” and John replies “Wake me, when you need me” before closing the stasis chamber. Well it looks like its time to GTFU and smell the coffee because H4 is on the way and should be out just in time for Christmas 2012. The trailer looks pretty damn good too with John’s Spartan Armor appearing a little more compact and lightweight however I’m sure the weapons will pack a much more solid of a punch. According to the Official HALO 4 Website (http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/games/halo4/Overview) “Halo 4 is the next blockbuster installment in the iconic franchise that’s shaped entertainment history and defined a decade of gaming. Set in the aftermath of Halo 3, Master Chief returns to confront his own destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. Halo 4 marks the start of a new trilogy that begins with its release in 2012″. A new trilogy? Now THAT sounds interesting!
No doubt when HALO was first released on 11-15-01 for the X-BOX gaming console it had changed the whole concept, feel, and evolution of a first person shooter game. The same feeling was carried over onto the X-BOX 360 gaming console with HALO 2 and HALO 3, losing a majority of that feeling in HALO ODST, and remerging strong as ever again with the release of HALO Reach in 2011. HALO Wars was at best an ok game but seemed more like a game of digital checkers on crack. The Official Trailer for HALO 4 looks pretty solid as well and so does the screenshots for H 4.
Click on the Screenshot directly below to see Official H4 Trailer
HALO 4 SCREENSHOTS
HALO 4 Box Cover Art – XBOX 360
As they say, “Heros Never Die” and John the “Master Chief” has proven this already! So get ready to stuff your X-Mas stockings with H4.
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
Chris Nolan has taken the Batman legend to places on the big screen that nobody had ever thought Batman could or even would go before. Starting with Batman Begins Nolan laid down a solid foundation clearly bringing to light what an angry and desperate man can do if pushed, and a 100 billion bucks in the bank can’t hurt either as well as unlimited access to million dollar hardware and software to aid in ones desire to deal a death blow to evil in the face of a freightening icon known as “The Bat”. Batman Begins is not the story of Batman per-se, but rather the story of Bruce Wayne as he moves forward in his destiny to becoming Batman. Nolan tested the limits again when he following through with the sequel The Dark Knight and once again Nolan struck gold with a solid and riveting storyline with many plot twists and action to boot. And now in the final film of the trilogy The Dark Knight Rises Nolan brings to a close (as the press states) the “Batman legend” even releasing an official movie one sheet with the main line reading “THE LEGEND ENDS”. However, I like to read between the lines here, this could be the end of the films by Nolan specifically or could simply mean that the Batman as seen in Nolan’s universe actually comes out from the shadows of Gotham City transforming himself from being a legend, myth, boogyman into becoming something that is tangible and REAL to all of the residents of Gotham and beyond hence the title “The Dark Knight Rises”.
According to the official description of TDKR, “Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, the terrorist leader Bane arrives in Gotham City, pushing it and its police force to their limits, forcing its former hero Batman to resurface after taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s crimes”. It will be interesting to see what has taken place over the past eight years in Gotham since the Dark Knight had ended according to the films timeline. What has Batman been up to over the past eight years? Whose ass did he kick? What has taken place in Gotham leading up to this point where all hell breaks loose? The answers to these questions is anyones guess except for those in the inner circle of Nolan’s production staff. Ultimately I have no worries, the last two films were box office hits and even though I was uncertain about Heath Ledgers portrayal of The Joker in TDK initially I can safely say that I have eaten my negative words in that casting call because after seeing what Ledger brought to the screen it was clear to me there is and was nobody else that could have taken on that role and pulled it off like Ledger did. Lets be honest, the stress of The Joker role was a major factor in Ledgers untimely and unfortunate death. RIP HL!
This time Batman takes on super juiced Bane who is one tough SOB with a genius level IQ to boot who will no doubt kick some serious ass until he smells shit and then continue kicking. Batman also faces off with Catwoman which should be interesting and a nice twist in Nolan’s universe. And just to make sure there are no disappointments Batman will have a whole new nifty little arsenal of gadgets to get him through a tough night in the big city of Gotham. The Tumbler / Batmobile and the Bat-Cycle will return as well a the new flying hovercraft known as “The Bat” will also be introduced in TDKR. All the original cast members from the first two films will return, Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and Michael Caine just to name a few and a whole new supporting cast will take on the new roles of ”Rogues Gallery” characters in this film including Tom Hardy as Bane and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. Not to mention that Liam Neeson also returns as Ra’s Al Ghul. From the looks of some of the production stills released last summer and from the most recent third trailer installment from the film all I can say is i’m STOKED and can’t wait until the Summer!
Click on the Movie One Sheet directly below to see the Official Dark Knight Rises Trailer
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES PRODUCTION STILLS
HITMAN ABSOLUTION
Agent 47 is BACK! Yes sir 47 returns with a vengeance in Hitman Absolution the fifth game in the series which originated in 2000 with the PC game titled Hitman: Code Name 47. I remember first playing the original game at a friends house when it first came out twelve years ago and for weeks we wasted away in our seats playing this game until both it and us were finished. Who knew that such a simple PC game that was not promoted well and barely heard of would ever explode into a cultural phenomenon leading up to a series of five great video games, a set of well written books, and not to mention a decent feature film titled Hitman starring Timothy Olyphant as 47 with a sequel rumored to be coming out this year as well with Olyphant reprising his role as 47. What makes Olyphant work at being 47 is his face and walk. He has a great facial structure that is reminiscent of the 47 from the games but the walk is what seals the deal for me. Olyphant’s natural walk is pretty graceful and he actually walks like 47 in the game in real life.
From the screenshots and gameplay that I have seen released over the last few weeks I can safely say the last time I was this excited about a video game it was in fact Batman Arkham City. Hitman Absolution takes on many of the elements that were used in Batman Arkham City such as the stealth movements, X-Ray / Detective mode, use of new and improvised weapons, hand to hand combat skills, and the overall feel and graphics of the game make it a fun yet dark experience for the hardcore gamers and Hitman fans alike. Absolution brings to the table a feast of new treats never before seen or used in any Hitman game before.
Click on the Hitman Bar Code directly below to see the Official Hitman Absolution Trailer
HITMAN ABSOLUTION SCREENSHOTS
For an extra special treat click on the image below and see 20 minutes of actual Hitman Absolution gameplay! You WON’T be disappointed!
THE 72nd ANNUAL STURGIS MOTORCYCLE RALLY
The 72nd Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is coming up on August 6 -12, 2012 and it is going to be better than ever before. Sturgis only gets bigger and better not smaller and worse. It is by far the biggest biker rally in the U.S. and a big part of American Culture especially in the biker world. Hell you can even show up with a Honda or a Yamaha and partake in the festivities but won’t get much respect as a rider. Harley Davidson is where the heart is here. Every year except for 1942, for a full week in August since 1938 bikers from all around the world flee to Sturgis, South Dakota to ride, party, make friends, and experience the freedom of the biker lifestyle which is still one of the last freedoms we have that is actually free (Harley not included) in todays society.
The Official Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Website can be found below at the following link!
http://www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com/
Well to close out this latest blog, I’m REALLY looking forward to some great food, music, tattoo news, java, and new artistic talents to emerge in 2012 and if we are all really lucky the absolute demise of “Reality TV” except for a handful of shows primarily related to cooking, art, bikers, tattoo’s (except for anything Kat Venereal Disease related), and the return of about 3 or 4 tv series I watch. Oh well, thats a wrap…..see you all at my next blog which is going to be a doozy. CYA!
© 2012 by layingdownthelawlessness. All rights reserved
