Movie Discommendation: ROBOCOP (2014)

Posted on February 20, 2014 by DigitalDragan

Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton
Directed by: José Padilha
Written by: Joshua Zetumer, Edward Neumeier & Michael Miner
Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Action

Robocop Movie Poster

No spoilers here!

This reboot is no match for Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 version starring Peter Weller as the original ROBOCOP. In short, this new version lacked charm. For me, this was not an enjoyable movie-going experience. Even though the 1987 version had tons of violence like this version did, the original Robocop had a fun and light-hearted nature to it. I rooted for and cared about Peter Weller and Robocop. In other words, the ’87 version remained a human story while this latest version was darker and way too heavy handed. Furthermore, I didn’t care for Samuel L. Jackson’s loudmouth, preachy character Pat Novak at all. This may have been the tipping point for me and why I cannot recommend this movie.

On the bright side, Gary Oldman’s and Michael Keaton’s performances stood out as the best things about this movie. Together they gave some legitimacy to this film and I wanted to see more of their characters on screen. In fact I’m quite certain if Jackson’s part was edited out or if his character contributed something to the story, I’d probably would have different feelings about this ROBOCOP.

To sum up: 1987 = Good Robocop. 2014 = Bad Robocop.

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Failed Apple IOS 7 Marketing Slogans

Posted on September 25, 2013 by DigitalDragan

It’s been fun to watch the growing resentment toward Apple’s recent release of IOS 7 for iPads and iPhones. I am not an Apple fanboy, but I do use their devices, along with many other technology brands. It’s going to be even more fun to watch Apple squirm around and do damage control, just like how Microsoft dealt (and is still dealing) with the Windows 8 backlash.

In the meantime, for your enjoyment I’ve compiled of a list of FAILED MARKETING & ADVERTISING SLOGANS for IOS 7…

  • Lacking In Design, But Full of Disappointment
  • Upgrading Has Never Been This Easy
  • Will Make You Happy as a Little Girl
  • Now with a Lot More New Features & A Whole Lot of Headaches
  • Designed by Unicorns For Simpletons
  • My God, It’s Full of Rainbows!
  • You WILL Upgrade & You WILL Like It
  • Makes Your Device Smell Like Bubblegum & Candy
  • Voted #1 By Teen Choice Awards
  • Now Supported Under Apple Care & Obamacare
  • Jam Packed with Fairy Dust
  • Stop Complaining, You Minions
  • Downgrading is so Overrated
  • It Could Be Worse… Just Kidding
  • Our Thin Fonts & Icons Will Make Your Fingers Look Fat



    • Very funny stuff! Feel free to share them.

    Cheers!

    Posted in Humor, Technology | Leave a comment

    Movie Discommendation: RIDDICK (2013)

    Posted on September 22, 2013 by DigitalDragan

    Starring: Vin Diesel, Jordi Mollà & Matt Nable
    Directed by: David Twohy
    Written by: David Twohy, Jim Wheat and Christopher Nolan
    Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Action

    Riddick Movie Poster

    No spoilers here!

    Vin Diesel is back as the no holds barred badass from the planet Furya, in RIDDICK, the third movie in the series. Considering I enjoyed PITCH BLACK (2000) and even found the second movie, THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK (2004) quite decent and entertaining, I was hoping for the best for this latest installment.

    Overall, RIDDICK had plenty of stuff to like about it, especially the performance of Vin Diesel. He OWNS this character! Other performances by Jordi Mollà & Matt Nable who play bounty hunters were solid and added some flare and comedic moments. I also found first act of the story to be captivating and was fully immersed in Riddick’s tribulations on the desolate planet.

    However, like many movies nowadays over 90 minutes long, RIDDICK needed a good deal of editing to help out the pace. Clocking in at a run time of almost two hours, the story started to drag during the last half of the movie. Despite the all the action sequences, it seemed sluggish.

    A 90 minute version would probably have been ideal this movie. Maybe we’ll get lucky and get a re-edited shorter version on the DVD release. Until that time, I cannot recommend this movie. Sorry Vin.

    Posted in Movie Discommendations | Leave a comment

    New Yahoo.com Web Page Layout Flunks Design 101

    Posted on September 4, 2013 by DigitalDragan

    I personally don’t use yahoo.com for web searches, news or email, but I do keep my radar on for the latest developments on web site technology. Recently, on-line postings and rumblings about Yahoo.com’s new page design (launched in August 2013) caught my attention, so I checked it for myself.

    I agree, the new design is not user friendly — using white fonts on semi-transparent (and blurry) backgrounds makes it difficult to read. I like the idea of theming each page depending on the topic, but it has to be done correctly.

    If Yahoo’s plan was to increase the length of page visits, this new design will probably be successful. However, long-time yahoo.com visitors may not appreciate this which I can fully understand.

    Also I noticed, the same baseball field background was used for the MLB, golf and MLS sport pages (as of 9/4/13) — Yahoo Sports Page. This could be just an oversight. After all, they’re professionals and know what their visitors like and don’t like.

    Happy Yahooing!… I guess.

    Posted in Technology | Leave a comment

    Movie Recommendation: MAN OF STEEL (2013)

    Posted on August 14, 2013 by DigitalDragan

    Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams & Michael Shannon
    Directed by: Zack Snyder
    Written by: David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan
    Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Comic Book, Action

    Man of Steel Movie Poster

    No spoilers here!

    I was a bit reluctant to see this movie considering I am not a fan of director Zack Snyder’s previous films (300, WATCHMEN, LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA’HOOLE, SUCKER PUNCH). DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004) is the only exception. Also considering the mix reviews of MAN OF STEEL, I kind of had an idea of what to expect.

    My recommendation is based on three reasons: 1) the spectacular visual effects (CGI), 2) Russell Crowe’s performance as Jor-El and 3) Michael Shannon’s dynamic performance as General Zod, probably the most memorable villain since Heath Ledger’s portrayal as the Joker in THE DARK KNIGHT (2008). Without Crowe and Shannon, MAN OF STEEL would have lost my interest and earned a discommendation instead.

    Even though the action sequences were visually stunning, I found them to be too long winded. Like many recent movies, MAN OF STEEL could have been edited down to under two hours. This could have helped making the emotional elements of the story more impactful. Instead, they got upstage by all the explosions and collapsing buildings. Too much for me! In addition, as other reviews have commented, this reinvention of Superman lacked charisma and charm on screen. MAN OF STEEL needed more light-hearted moments to balance the dark tone of the entire movie.

    Overall, I liked of MAN OF STEEL better than THE AVENGERS (2012) which was over-hyped and overrated. My reviews can be found here: THE AVENGERS and
    Where Have All the Heroes Gone?

    Now back to Zack Snyder… I do have to admit the opening title sequence of WATCHMEN is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Using Bob Dylan’s Times They are a-Changin’ was a brilliant choice. Kudos!

    WATCHMEN: Opening Titles
    Posted in Film, Movie Recommendations | Leave a comment