Wednesday... Reviewed!

Shout out to Warner Bros Discovery for providing a copy of this show to review. My opinions are my own.

Right out of the gate, this show gained my interest thinking it was going to place Wednesday and Pugsley in a high school setting that challenged them to navigate through token school life, but then things shifted after something entertaining occurred. Does it hold up from this point? Let's find out.

Story: So that... thing that Wednesday pulled off at school to avenge Pugsley got her the boot, but not the students who kicked it all off (you know how that usually goes)... but her move to a new school took her from the ordinary to the abnormal via Nevermore Academy.

Wednesday goes into this season with smoke for her parents. It mainly seems like it's aimed at her mom (Morticia), but... her dad is getting that work as well. She seems to be a rebel with... causes she feels is noble. She doesn't believe in being a housewife, which I was like... is this going to be one of those show that revolves around that type of narrative with an Addams Family theme wrapped around it. It definitely remains tucked in the show... but it isn't oversaturated to the point that it commandeers the show. Thank goodness. A message is one thing, using it as a crutch instead of showcasing originality is something else... and Tim Burton didn't allow his name to be fuel for a dumpster fire.

But yeah... Wednesday doesn't just have a problem with that type of notion, she also doesn't believe in social media, she doesn't believe in cell phones... and just seems to be anti-anything that she feels would annoy her (which isn't far off from Wednesday). It's carried as a badge of honor by Wednesday to represent that she doesn't allow others to define her.

I would've loved to see how things played out at the traditional school, but the deeper I got into the various chapters... the show got even better. I don't really see the comedy aspect (unless it's dry dark comedy... until the family graces the screen), but the mystery... yes! I'd even call it a thriller to an extent as Wednesday tries to find the truth about a book that dates back centuries... and appears to be tied to the Addams family and their history in Jericho. The past doesn't just tie in Wednesday's ancestor, but also her dad... (Gomez) who had the local sheriff convinced that he was a killer.

So you have that aspect placing them opposite sides, plus the drama that takes place at the academy and Jericho in general. It almost feels like a cross up between The Outsider + Star Girl + Bones... featuring Thing. I was actually trying to see if Thing was doing sign language, which in part he was... and fun fact, it's a form of ASL that I use (called Signed English). Signed English is finger spelling with one hand but at a fast past that allows you to hold a conversation (with deaf individuals and the hearing impaired).

Overall, this is a really good show, despite the pace picking up closer to the finale. With over 6 billion minutes poured into the show in its first five days, it's safe to say that others feel similar outside of curious viewers (who watch the trending suggestions).

Fun fact: This is Netflix's most popular English TV series of all time. That's the power of flexing your creativity in a way that viewers appreciate.

Visuals: Visually speaking, you get a lot of dark vivid scenes in this film. They're broken up with the sunny days around town, but certain areas still deliver that darkness despite the sun shining. This show captures plenty of mid shots, closeups, with low angles and high angles tucked in (i.e. the balcony scene involving Gomez, Principal Larissa, and others). One of my favorite shots was Wednesday and a classmate climbing into the spiraled cave. I won't say anymore about that, but it was a nice angle.

Audio: Wednesday is served up in DTS-HD Master Audio, as well as Dolby Digital 5.1. 

I listened with both surround sound speakers and... 1More S50s. The quality audio makes this series even better, and it's easy to point out the sounds when the action kicks up... but subtle sounds like Lurch walking across the floor or Thing breaking someone out of a cop car sounds great too. Proper placement and quality sounds go such a long way and I appreciated what was done here. I watched the finally a few times just to hear it over again, especially when all hell broke lose and things got a little... electrifying (that sounded sweet on the headphones).

Price: Price: Pricewise you can get... Wednesday on DVD for $24.98 & $29.98 on Blu-Ray. Is it worth it? Yes, you get multiple elements that give you the feel of a thrill ride to a degree, plus the mystery aspect, plus the love interest(s) that some viewers crave even if Wednesday doesn't exactly know how to show it in a way we deem normal, but... she's an Addams (what can ya can about it, huh?). You get over 480 minutes in the 2-disc Blu-ray that serve up 8 well-rounded episodes that feel like a long movie. These episodes move you closer to the finale with ease... because they're easy to binge watch thanks to the cliffhangers. The ending also leaves the door open for another season. Personally, I would've celebrated the success of the first season with a special edition disc that included a Thing keychain.

Story 5

Visuals 5

Audio 5

Price 5

5 out of 5 Cool Points

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The Cushion Designed for Gaming!

Netflix Geeked Week 2022 - Gaming Edition

 

I think we will see some big things occur when Netflix gets into gaming as a first-party contender, because we may get all sorts of additional content and shows related to the games.

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Geek it up!

Netflix actually took a clever approach to include themselves in the E3 action. Not bad.

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Cut Throat City... Reviewed!

Shout out to Well Go USA Entertainment for providing a copy of this film for my review.

Cut Throat City is harsh (hence the name), they tried to pump a little sunshine and romance in there... but the film boomeranged back to a dramatic place for the sake of delivering more action with a confusing twist. By the way, Cut Throat City debuted at #1 on Netflix's Top 10 trending chart ahead of its #FYC Awards Campaign.

Story: Even though Cut Throat City is fictional, it was still derived from a reality that some face on a daily basis (to an extent). I say to an extent because I totally understand how the main character Blink, felt coming from what some would consider as... the bad part of town while trying to improve life for his family. His goal was to have his comic book picked up by a publisher to turn things around, but he was shown the door... regardless of his eye-catching work. There was some criticism in there that was later utilized to bring it home... but let's dive into the focus of the film.

Life seemed on the up and up, but... Hurricane Katrina took life and turned the difficulty setting up times 10.

Left with no job, no help from FEMA, and limited resources drying up... Blink got together with his childhood friends Miracle, Junior, plus Andre, to reluctantly seek an opportunity from a local gangster by the name of... Cousin (played by Tip T.I. Harris).

What's the opportunity? A heist of sorts, at one one of the few moneymakers still in town, the casinos.

The web starts to tangle as the movie rolls out because Cousin also happens to be the... cousin of Blink's supportive wife, Demyra (played by Katerina Graham). All hell breaks loose on their mission for Cousin, so that doesn't exactly make the best working relationship. When you add in the cops, plus the Saint's crew (led by Terrance Howard) on the opposite side... you can imagine how crazy things can get during their desperate attempt to earn a dollar. Oh yeah, Detective Lucinda (played by Eiza Gonzalez)... went to school with Blink, so she also knew him during his childhood and was well aware of his talents.

The web tangles even further because Detective Lucinda finds connections between gangsters and dirty cops during her quest to piece together the puzzle that could land Blink in prison. Did I fail to mention that one of the Detectives (played by Ethan Hawke) is also linked to... Demyra? Small world.

I would say that there were some ups in this film, but they were short-lived or left more to be desired along with the character development. I think I was pulled out of the film because it didn't feel cohesive enough for me, yes... you had an on-going situation in the background, but outside of Blink trying to survive in quicksand... it just felt like he was going from point A to B interacting with caricatures that will later come in handy. I didn't see the goals of his friends start to take form at all, it just felt like they were inserted into the story, and the location... along with most of the other actors. I got a New York vibe from Blink who was supposed to be from... Louisiana. I don't want to make it seem like there can't be someone like Blink from the area... he just reminded me of guys I knew from New York (with terminology that I'd more so align with NY than LA).

Cousin was interesting in the movie, but... he was the biggest caricature of all. Just felt like the writer was out of touch, he could've been more realistic without being that over the top (in terms of his mindset). 

What bummed me out... was not being able to see a win in between, it felt like the same old tactics were used from the start that landed them in hot water and they willingly jumped right back into that pot of hot water again during the final heist. I scratched my head during that final heist though, because I question if it really happened. I got a sigh of relief after seeing a victorious situation occur in the end, but that's where the confusion came in as to what the outcome truly was. That's based on the final scene with Lawrence (played by Wesley Snipes) before the credits ran. I didn't see Blink, so then I was like... what really happened to him?

I thought that was it, but I noticed that there was still a nice stretch of time left on the movie and knew it couldn't all be the credits. So I sat through the initial credits (which weren't long) and got sort of a clearer view of what happened and what didn't happen (because I saw a certain character). That's as clear as I can present it without spoiling it for you, but... you'll see what I mean.

Visuals: When it comes to the visuals... for the most part they were standard (which is fine) with some dynamic shots tucked in there. I like when they zoomed into the background while talking at a cafe, and when the camera zoomed out they were in their gear prepared for their... next heist. I think I only saw that in a music video or two once upon a time... but this flowed a little better.

Nothing seemed off or overdone... so I can give the visual a solid thumbs up.

Audio: As far as audio goes... I enjoyed the sound effects in the shoot outs. The background music sounded a little louder than it had to be... and I found myself turning it down a little while using headphones or speakers (for some of the music). Other than that... standard vocal tracks and sound effects were good.

Price: Pricewise... Cut Throat City's MSRP was $29.98 on Blu-ray + DVD. I guess I can see that price for both formats in the same package... but still I would've sold it for $19.99 (in order to sweeten the pot and increase the temptation to buy). At the time of this review... you can get Cut Throat City for $12.96 for the Blu-ray + DVD combo.

Overall, it's not a bad movie... I've watched it 3 times so far. The third time was literally to playback and make sense of the parts I didn't get. I still question something that happened, but there's no way it could have happened based on the final scene I saw.

Story 3

Visuals 5

Audio 4

Price 5 (I would've given it a 3 for the MSRP)

4.25 out of 5 Cool Points

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Watch This: The Walking Dead G.S. 1 - 3 + My Clementine Story

Now that we're in the final season... of our journey in The Walking Dead game franchise, we figured it would be cool to frightening walk down memory lane. So check out the playthrough action below... where the awesomeness of this emotional roller coaster builds up to the pending final season for the ever amazing, Clementine!

Amazing how you can connect with a game character huh? That's the power of great character development and an addicting storyline. My daughter is named, Clementine... as a result of me really connecting with the character in this story. I don't treat my baby girl like she's straight out of the game, but... I thought it was a cool name. Game on!

We'll get back to our regularly scheduled posts soon, just a lot of traveling going on... and I'm doing three reviews at once. By the way, thank you to everyone supporting us at the links below the posts!

What path will you take? Pre-Order The Walking Dead: The Final Season... and score it for $17.99!

August 14th is headed our way faster than a zombie on wheels, so don't miss out!

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This is for the Cosplayers! (Blood not included)

TellTaleGame's next move might be the best one... yet!

If you don't know... TellTaleGame's will be releasing its first title on Netflix. Yes... Netflix. They're clearly a game developer, but the way they present their games with the strong factor of storytelling... and the fact that the games are basically like films that you navigate in a number of ways... it's a perfect match.

If there are any games able to make a splash on Netflix... its games from TellTale (hands down). Not based on my being a super fan or something, but you can kick back and be immersed their games from a casual standpoint. I think its the right fit for Netflix subscribers, gathering around ready to partake in a movie or show like experience... and their games are episodic.

So I think the next move could be their best move because it pairs well. I could even see them working on something exclusive for Netflix... not that I heard anything, but the subscriber base is there for major success. Minecraft: Story Mode is coming... and you'll be able to control it with your tv remote. This will probably work best or only work with the remotes that belong to the devices that run Netflix directly.

Another game I feel will be a great touch, is... The Walking Dead games. One thing I wouldn't want to come of this, is Netflix buying TellTaleGames... they have the freedom to do whatever they want and present their games on any/all platforms but it could be a great safety net if there is ever the risk of the doors closing. This gives Netflix games... without the being a platform for games, and it really feels like this was a predetermined event. I'll stop babbling, but I think this is awesome.

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Strap on some headphones, kick back... and swoop into some DC comics action!

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Will the ATARI VCS be similar to our SEGA Streamcast concept? Hmmm

The idea we had for a Sega Streamcast idea... was similar to a Steam Link, but it had its own interface, classic games built-in, discounts on Sega games for every owner of the unit and a way to stream movies (via Netflix, etc). It really sounds like it, but if its Linux based and they're leaving the door open to more... it may be the system for Linux users. One thing about Linux users, they may not get as much mainstream love... but they support those who show love to them (not just superficially).

If the Linux base was the main reason ATARI surpassed its $100,000 goal by over 2000% placing it in a multimillion-dollar pond of crowdfunding success... I'm not surprised. It could be based on the interest most may have in the modifications if it's truly customizable. If the ATARI VCS is something that allows you to swap out memory cards, graphics cards, and all that good stuff... it could truly be a different type of system worth the purchase (if its solid). If it's similar to a Steam Link or more so a Steam Machine... I wouldn't consider it competition to the big 3 at all... and that wouldn't be a bad thing. Right now it's still an enigma to most, but once they show and prove what it will be in its final form... that will help me determine whether its a yay or nay. I'll leave you with the video. Game on!

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eniTAB360 Universal Tablet Holder... reviewed!

Got a tablet? Need a versatile holder without it being a high priced first-party accessory? This review is for you. 

One of the reasons I give props to this tablet holder right off the bat is the ability to connect it to any tablet... you don't have to worry about a case that can house a certain size tablet because it connects to the back of any you have. I know that prompts the question... "Can it hold big and small tablets?", and I have to say that it does... based on which size you buy. The small one can hold tablets up to 8.5" and the larger one can hold tablets 8.5" and larger (I'm not talking about Wacom Cintiq 27" tablets... think portable ones like iPads).

This universal tablet stand adjusts without having to detach or retighten anything, and since it's not as bulky as it could be... you can keep it attached to your tablet inside a protective travel case. There is actually a Filofax case that has a reserved sleeve for the kickstand, which makes sense as the maker of the attachment.

The thing that attaches the holder to your tablet is a micro-suction technology (silicone based polymer) that holds quite well from my experience, and since you're able to spin this thing 360 degrees it'd better. Going back to the grip, no need to worry about it being stuck to your tablet forever more... because it comes off and left no marks. The package actually comes with this little removal card if you desire to take it off, so no need to buy it over again if you switch tablets.

This tablet holder also includes a friction hinge and grips on the kickstand... so no need to worry about the eniTAB360 sending your tablet sliding. I know it can rotate and also tilt your tablet, but one thing I'd prefer is the ability to lock it in place. I know the sides of tablets are flat and that works, but a plus would be the ability to lock it in place for those not so conventional placements.

eniTAB360 comes in a pretty good retail box that should keep it protected in shipping, and the overall attachment is lightweight and durable. One thing I'd change about this attachment is the $19.99 retail price tag, which isn't super steep, but the sweet spot would be $14.99 to me... and $9.99 would be a steal.

Overall, the eniTAB360 allows you to bypass the more expensive and/or bulky tablet holders... while still maintaining quality, durability, and portability. I didn't feel like I was carrying anything extra around because it's attached directly to the back of the tablet without adding extra unnecessary weight. So if I want to watch some movies on a plane, play a game, read an eBook, etc... nothing else is needed to accommodate me (except my headphones).

Product Design 5

Product Quality 5

Functionality 5

Accessories 5

Price 4

4.75 out of 5 Cool Points

 Brought to you by the... Baby Fu Clothing Co!

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Game on!

This product was sent to SDGT Entertainment by the Filofax company.