FILM REVIEW: Debug

Debug is a 2014 Canadian Sci-Fi Horror film written and directed by David Hewlett. If that name sounds familiar to you it is because David played Dr. Rodney Mckay in Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis and in Stargate Universe. Seriously he was 50% of the reason for watching Atlantis the other half was probably Rachel Luttrell’s abs because damn.

The film stars Jeananne Goossen, Jason Momoa, Jadyn Wong, Adrian Holmes, Sidney Leeder and Adam Butcher. Debug is distributed by Signature Entertainment and was released in the UK on 3^rd November 2014.

PLOT

Six young computer hackers sent to work on a derelict spaceship, are forced to match wits with a vengeful artificial intelligence that would kill to be human.

WHY I WATCHED

I just decided to take a chance but the fact that Jason Momoa (Stargate Atlantis, Game Of Thrones, don’t mention Conan) and Jadyn Wong (crushing on since Scorpion) meant it was definitely worth a gamble. I do love my B movies they are hard to do wrong though of course it does happen.

WHAT I THOUGHT

I do love B movies I’m not sure why anyone would not like them. This is a good example of the genre a decent amount of action more than a bit of gore the story is an interesting take on the old trapped in a scary house set piece of most horror films. The Sci-Fi element makes things interesting a revamp for the modern age with it being set on a vast space ship. The size of the ship doesn’t make it feel any less claustrophobic and the hacking elements are interesting. The virtual reality stuff cranks up the horror elements too which is a nice step.

It is hard to talk about Debug without having a discussion around the fan service present in the film.

Fan Service: a term originating from anime and manga fandom for material in a series which is intentionally added to please the audience and usually refers to gratuitous titillation.

In this case I can definitely point to some fan service of the racy/sexual kind. Of course this is not unheard of for horror films and it is handled well here of course it isn’t hindered by the fact that the lead Jeananne Goossen is a stone cold fox and the other actresses are gorgeous as well. Between Jadyn Wong in a T-shirt and panties and Sidney Leeder with very little of anything on there was something for anyone who appreciated fit young women. Of course noting that there is a discussion to be held about where all the pecs and sixpacks were so fans of the male form could have their turn.

So now with that aside let’s consider the film as a whole it is a great distraction for a night in with friends and definitely worth taking the time to check out. The gorgeous actresses on show don’t hurt either. So Sci-Fi fan? Horror fan? Check this film out.

Seetec Complaint And Independent Case Examiner

So there it is after well 2 years and a whole lot of follow up this week I finally got an answer to my complaint lodged with ICE (Independent Case Examiner). To find out why you only need search my blog for Seetec and do some reading on my various issues with them. 

In the end I got what is called a partially upheld complaint which according to those in the know is a win and doesn't often happen. I won’t bore you with the details as it will take me way too long to decide what I can and cannot share but what I will say is that it is a lot of work to get that partial victory and the way Seetec twists the truth may not be worth the stress once you review the reasons given for the decision.

I have to thank a lot of people for supporting me through this:

- Unemployment Movement forums – great place to get general

- Refuted great website full of resources lots of guidelines

- Jobseekers Sanction Advice unfortunately not sure if they are continuing past January

Tips

If you think that you are going to go forward with a complaint there is one thing I must stress RECORD everything. My complaint to ICE took over two years and in that time I was contacted more than once and asked about things that happened over a year in the past and then asked if I have documentary evidence to prove things. It drove me mad and was a good part of the reason I think for only getting a partially upheld complaint.

As a result of my partial victory I should say that Seetec has to pay ICE £5000 apparently as well as giving me compensation for their poor service.

EDIT: Just when I thought my problems with DWP and their croneys was at an end I get a package from the DWP that I had to pay £15 to get from the post office. It was a data request that I had lodged more than a year ago. A request that should have been filled in 40 days at no cost to me.

GAMING: Something To Know About Fight Sticks

So I recently made a decent sized investment on a Fight Stick because I wanted to learn and doing it once a week wasn't cutting it. I decided on a PS3 Soul Calibut Fight Stick made by Mad Catz. The choice was down to cost I low balled a Best Offer on Ebay and got lucky. I thought it would be great to take to tournaments and such but there is an issue. the Mayflash PS2/PS3/XBox 360 convertor doesn't work with it.

I should also add that the Mayflash convertor when used on the XBox 360 won't recognise most if any of the 3rd party PS3 controllers this is because the PS3 pretty much recognises any controllers that would work on a modern PC while it seems that XBox 360 is a far more discerning device and needs purpose built controllers.

Still I definitely don't consider the Fight Stick to be a waste as I have a decent collection of Fighting Games on my PC and I am looking forward to hopefully doing some streaming subject to finishing up my computer upgrade. So just be aware that for now with pretty much all the tournaments being on the XBox 360 it pays to invest in an XBox controller of your preferred style be it pad or stick if you are thinking of doing a few tournaments.

So the Mayflash is fine if you're a dedicated PS3 player who needs to take his own controller to tournaments but only the official Sony ones and not any of the licensed variety. Hopefully that will save you some annoyance and having to try and auction off an unneeded stick.

Hope to see you guys in tournaments. I'll talk a little about our weekly tournaments next time.

FILM REVIEW: The Scribbler

[REVIEWER'S NOTE: This is not to be read before watching the film it is more for watchers of the film to get a second opinion after seeing it. Despite that there are NO SPOILERS contained within the review.]

I don't know why I decided to go for The Scribbler. I was unaware of the graphic novel it was based on which is from Image Comics if you were wondering. Also I thought Katie Cassidy was a weird choice as lead which I will go into later. Perhaps it was the Sci-fi tag and the inclusion of Eliza Dushku who I hadn't seen on a show or film since Dollhouse. I only found out just before watching that Michelle Trachtenberg would have a role in this.

I have to register my issues with Katie Cassidy, I'm not convinced by her portrayal of Laurel Lance on Arrow though she may be suffering from the Kreuk effect. Remember Smallville with Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang she struggled in that rule in my view largely as a result of having absolutely nothing to do in the first two or three seasons past. Both Kristin Kreuk then and Katie Cassidy had incredibly charismatic co-stars that tended to become the fan favourites also Laurel and Oliver didn't have chemistry. Anyway this isn't a comparative study of superhero shows so let's get back to the case at hand.

PLOT

THE SCRIBBLER follows Suki (Katie Cassidy), a young woman confronting her destructive mental illness using "The Siamese Burn," an experimental machine designed to eliminate multiple personalities. The closer Suki comes to being "cured," she's haunted by a thought - what if the last unwanted identity turns out to be her?

That plot is pretty weird and the way that the film dumps you in at the deep end and you spend a fair amount of time clawing yourself back up from those depths. I find the first twenty minutes hard going but after that hump it settles down into something that is a little easier to understand.

Also at this time I have to mention the co-star in The Scribbler Garret Dillahunt (now that's a damn name) who I will always remember as the Terminator from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles he is a huge part of the film and he is a great onscreen and helps the film to work. The rest of the film is built around crazy characters who put up and then disappear including an appearance by Michelle Trachtenberg which was cool as I hadn't seen her since the under rated crazy film that was Sexy Evil Genius.

Katie Cassidy carries this well and definitely is convincing as a woman struggling with her inner demons while trying to come to terms with her ongoing mental issues. Things get very crazy towards the end but I'll just leave you to see it for yourselves. Oh and if you happen to be a fan of Helix the Syfy show about to come back for its second season this year then you will recognize one of the cast as one of the stars from there.

The Scribbler is probably not for everyone but is a heck of a ride and definitely worth taking a chance on. See you next film readers.