LET'S REVIEW...SOME MOVIES

I have seen a few movies as of late - The Martian, Hateful Eight and The Revenant. If you care to read further, the following are my reviews.

I like to scale moves on a 1-10 weight system with 10 being that you would go out and buy the movies to watch over and over, not just to collect dust.

The Martian was a mix of Apollo 13 and Cast Away to me (also two excellent films to own). It had technical ingredients (Apollo 13) and survivor ingredients (Cast Away) paired nicely with science and math leading the way. It did not hurt that with these normally dry subjects, science and math, came humor that Matt Damon delivered right on time. Although I do not own it at this writing - I give it a 10!

The Hateful Eight was a good story-line (you can hear the but coming can't you?), BUT, the movie was too long and like the Director's previous movies contained the "N" word I do not care for - among other foul language. Really the movie could have been sliced in half time wise and better actors could have been cast. Quentin Tarantino must have a fascination with Samuel L. Jackson, who in my humble opinion, cannot act and does not mind using the "N" word liberally. I scale this movie a 5.5.

The Revenant. I watched this last night. I believe this movie should have won more awards than it did. In fact, I wish you could win an award for certain scenes in a movie - like the Bear Scene in this one (the kind of scenes in movies that make you ask - How did they do that?).  The cinematography in this movie was incredible. The acting supporting Leonardo was a little weak. It felt like Leo was having to carry the movie a lot of the time. The movie was a little stretched out time wise for my taste also. So, when the dust settled on this one, I gave it a solid 8.

Seen these movies? What was your take?

MEET THE CHALLENGES

Hackers, why do people have to be that way? Their answer is "because we can". That is not good enough for me. I have the ability to pull a pistol out and shoot you in the head, but that does not mean I should - just because I can.

People like this are "short-cutters" in life. Any way possible they are looking for not only the path of least resistance, but also a way to cheat the system for max benefit. One of the things that bothers me is the idea that these hackers are receiving goodies that us "normal Joes" work hard for.

Case-in-point is the hacking of video games. Even though players have different styles of play, like slow-and-methodical or rush-through or somewhere in-between, there are those who are going to by-pass the regular way of doing things. Whether this by-passing makes them feel special, elite or invincible - not everyone is privy to this mindset and skill-set. 

There are many that have a mindset or skill-set that hold an advantage over another - that is how we get jobs. However, the issue is really How they are using it - that is the rub. If you are employed by the United States military and are hacking the bad guys in order to keep me safe - that is one thing. If you are hacking to have an advantage over me that I cannot overcome because of my skill-set, I think that is unfair and cheating. I simply encourage those of this persuasion to step up to life and drop the short-cuts because you are cheating yourself out of maturity - Meet The Challenges.

Healthy Hobby

Many ice-breakers have the question of - What are some of your interests? - included in the mix to get things started. I have many interests. Some are hobbies, which I consider interests that I come back to from time-to-time. Then there is the Healthy Hobby.

The Healthy Hobby to me is the more serious interest one may have in his/her life. It is something that we do a whole lot more regularly than the standard hobby and it stands out because it is good for you. For example, you might walk or run on a regular basis, but if you had a particularly rough day at work, you might take that regular run/walk and spice it up and do it in a State Park or somewhere special or with someone special. Cooking and singing are other examples of Healthy Hobbies that help keep life going in a positive direction and aide in relieving stress.

So, if you haven't already, I encourage you to find a Healthy Hobby and enjoy it to the fullest. What? Mine? Well, thank you for asking...mine is singing.

THE DIVISION (Love/Hate Relationship)

To me one of the most addictive games I have owned, The Division is a love/hate relationship. In my experience with the game, I have lost track of how many times the servers have booted me from the game and sometimes all the way back to my Playstation screen (with the option to report the issue). I see Delta, Mike and other named errors in my sleep because they have been so frequent. Why does Ubisoft make such glitchy games? Why can they not get their product right or closer to right the first time?

I understand with games there are going to be some patches, no matter who the developer is. However as many issues as this game displayed, it leads me to believe that there was a "rush job" on the front end. Ubisoft is in danger with me and I would venture to guess, sarcastically, a few more - of potentially losing some followers if they don't get their act straight. Highly acclaimed AC Unity and now highly praised Division are strike one and strike two in my book against Ubisoft as their glitchiest or problematic games.

I don't know if Ubisoft has done a demographic study or not, but there are a lot of gamers out there that are well above the teenage bracket playing their games. With that in mind, why not be a whole lot more product conscience on the front end so the customer gets their money's worth and Ubisoft keeps more loyal followers to their brand.

With all this in mind....when the game does behave, it is a joy to play, hours on end with friends and sometimes solo. There are improvements I would suggest, but I will save that for another day. So, for now it is a tug-of-war, glitches vs. gameplay...The Division, a Love/Hate Relationship.