Welcome to Elysium

I'll kick this review off with the following statement: the only possible way of fully reviewing Elysium would be to see it once again. I had zero doubts this film would be incredible. District 9 cemented both Neill Blomkamp's directorial ability as well as Sharlto Copley's acting. As incredible work they did in 2009, they come back four years later with a summer bombshell. Elysium's release finally puts a contender up against Pacific Rim for my top summer movie. Granted, we still have a few more hitters until the cinema runs dry, but as of right now I have no regrets going to the theatre this season. I will go ahead with my good graces being bestowed upon Elysium, and then get right into the mix of the review. If you love science-fiction, robotic police, and exo-skeleton action-y goodness....look no further. 


You've found Elysium.

The main story takes place in the mid-22nd century Los Angeles (2154, to be exact) with protagonist Max de Costa (Matt Damon) living his life as everyone else does on Earth: impoverished, dirty conditions, unsafe and underpaid employment. In other words: miserable. We're given flashbacks to explain Max's upbringing as an orphan being raised in a convent. This is the first interest point. On Earth, in L.A., Spanish is almost a primary language with little English sprinkled throughout. They switch back and forth during the movie, but moreso Spanish in the flashbacks. Elysium, a giant Halo-esque space station, was created for the super rich and powerful in order to preserve their way of living. No disease, no war, crime, or poverty. Oh, you have leukemia? Step on over to the med bay and have it erased. Literally erased from your cellular structure. Cancerous cells be gone! Now, while Spanish is near-dominant back on Earth, French is the customary language on Elysium. This makes perfect sense. While both languages stem from the romantic spectrum, they're entirely different as far as sophistication goes. French is smoother almost like speaking with a velvet tongue while Spanish is more along the lines of (forgive my Whovian side) "Bingle-bongle, dingle-dangle. Lickity-doo, lickity-da. Ping-pong, libby-tubby-tootah". 

In a nutshell without spoiling the film, Max gets into some serious danger-zone action and has the overwhelming desire to float up to Elysium for a spell. Damon's pretty decent in this role. His dialogue isn't short of consecutive f-bombs which works perfectly fine for his ex-con character. He makes Max believable as the loose-cannon, will-do-anything-to-survive type of guy. Fair warning: the scene in which the exo-skeleton is grafted to his body may be a bit cringe-worthy. From beginning to end, the decisions Max comes to make are sensible to the story's purposes. There's none of the whole "why the f*ck did this happen?" and more of "kind of saw that coming". Elysium works out to be somewhat predictable, but the final scene between Max and Kruger is worth waiting through the first two acts. 

I won't say much on Jodie Foster due to the reason her character was rigid, understandably emotionless, and kind of 'meh'. In another nutshell: Defense Secretary Delacourt (Foster) will do anything to protect Elysium's borders and disagrees with any peaceful sort of diplomacy. She bitches at the powers-that-be until she gets her way. Makes a few bad calls, and then pays for them in the end. 

Now, onto the whole reason I saw this film: Sharlto Copley. This is the guy who took a bumbling, inexperienced-in-the-field bureaucrat and transformed him into the man without anything to lose in District 9. By the end of the film, you know not to f*ck with Wikus van de Merwe. A year later, we find him in a mental ward in Mexico as Howlin' Mad Murdock in 2010's remake of The A-Team. When I first saw the film (as I had never seen the original series), I laughed my ass off at this particular scene: 

I'd fly with him

Sharlto Copley taking on the villain's role in Elysium pretty much put him in the area of actors that can do anything. Good guy, comic relief, psychopath. He's done them all in four years. A feat more and more actors/actresses can do today. Some (such as Michael Cera, Seth Rogen, Adam Sandler) are type-casted into their roles because of a failure to adapt to anything else. Not once in the entirety of Elysium do you get the idea Copley's Kruger was innately "good" at one point. This is the guy who takes shit from no one and dishes it out to everyone. If you cross him, he'll be laughing at your mangled corpse he himself took the pleasure of mutilating. While he's the stereotypical "shoot first, ask later" villain, I could've cared less. Copley's acting and reacting to other characters was seamless. And the final fight scene between Kruger and Max...oh, so satisfying. Not too long, not too short.....and cue the boyish jokes, you immature lot, you. 

If you've seen District 9, then you pretty much already have the aesthetic in mind. Metal surfaces look worn and rusted on Earth while Elysium looks like something out of the Citadel from Mass Effect. The dichotomy between both locations almost paints a picture close to Total Recall (I'm leaning more toward the 2012 remake, aesthetic-wise). The story also comes to a few similarities, but I'll let you make the call yourself. 

I won't ruin Elysium for those of you reading this blog. Blomkamp does it again and I'd be perfectly comfortable with him staying in the director's chair for more movies along his style. As I said earlier, this is the must-see sci-fi sensation of Summer 2013. 

For more things Elysium, get your ass to your local theatre and watch the damn movie. 

I still have my blue robe. Where's yours? 

TARDIS: Pilot Twelve

I'm behind on a laundry list of items: comics, movie reviews, television, and so on. A sea of entertainment finds me in a perpetual state of drowning. New comic book day rolls around with stacks upon stacks of unread comics to my name. A week passes after a movie releases and still no review. Another television show boots up and, before I know it, five years and four seasons have passed. Alas, someone as far behind as I can still find a way to catch up. 

Similar to Scott Pilgrim and me three years ago, I have one goal with Doctor Who: to get as many people away from tiring bullshit such as True Blood and Game of Thrones and have them watch Doctor Who over and over and over and over and over again until they realize there's another Whoville. I finally know enough on the TARDIS to have had myself glued to the BBC earlier today as they answered that great question once again: Doctor WHO?

If you're like me, then the below won't surprise you. In the event work got you down or a significant other not realizing what an important day today was for Whovians, then you're in for a treat. Without further delay, here he is. The actor we've been wondering for many a months. 

The Twelfth Doctor 

Peter Capaldi in what I hope won't be his permanent outfit 

I kid, I kid, I'm not that daft. The BBC announced at 7PM London time that Peter Capaldi will take over Doctor duties once Matt Smith departs after the Christmas Special later this year. He's been in a few films that people on the other side of the Great Salty Pond might know before us Yanks. You'll notice him as one of the research scientists in World War Z, The Fires of Pompeii (Series 4, DW), and Torchwood. I'm a huge Tennant fan. He's my definitive Doctor without question. Matt Smith has been absolutely fantastic. Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill helped shape his Eleventh Doctor into a fun and enjoyable experience just as Billie Piper did with Tennant and Eccleston. 

Now we're on the matter of the newest incarnation. Do realize that once Capaldi's Twelfth regenerates into the thirteenth and final, then that's it for the entire series. I only hope they pull at least ten more years. Four with Capaldi plus a year's worth of specials and then the last five with a ginger. 

Choosing his companion will be the next interesting reveal. Whoever they choose, he/she can't be any worse than Donna f*cking Noble. Hearing Catherine Tate's voice makes me want to shove my head in the sand. And, seriously, where the hell are her eyebrows? Creeeeeeeeeepy. 

I downed half a bottle of Nyquill, so I'm fading fast. Friday before last, 26 July, The Wolverine slashed onto the silver screen. Everyone I know gave the film top marks. I'm playing devil's advocate just to say I wanted more old school Wolverine with blood everywhere. I mean gallons and gallons and gallons and gallons--and a pint--of blood. I want to see the Hulk rip Weapon X in half. I want Wolverine to crawl in writhing agony to fetch his lower half five miles away. Yes, it's understandable why this won't happen. A) Twentieth Century Fox sucks at comic book movies B) Repeat of A C) Repeat of A and B D) Mass audience appeal

My answer to that: 

Jamie Foxx makes a damn fine point and that easily applies to Wolverine. Oh, you don't want to be a monster anymore? F*ck you, Logan. You're the walking apocalypse! LIVE UP TO YOUR LEGEND AND BERSERK! BERSERK THE F*CK OUT OF THESE ASSHOLES! Don't just be Stabby McStabberton. Be the guy cigar chomping, whiskey drinking bad-ass that I saw oh-so-briefly in X-Men. 

In regards to The Wolverine, here's my short-and-sweet review: 

Flashback to Nagasaki circa 1945

Atomic bomb goes off

Wolverine saves Japanese dude

Years later, a bear dies 

Japanese dude says "Thanks for saving me"

He has a hot daughter

Wolverine loses mutation

"This shit hurts now"

Bullet train fight scene

"This shit's bleeding now"

Wolverine bangs hot asian chick

"This shit's healing now"

Mutation back

Old Japanese dude is Silver Samurai

Fight scene

Wolverine loses claws

Grows back bone claws

Kills S.S. 

At airport

"Holy shit, Trask Industries, Magneto, and..............PROFESSOR XAVIER!!!!"

My reaction: Meh, post-credit scene was legit. 

Don't get me wrong. I liked The Wolverine in the defense that it was better than X3 and Origins by a hundred miles. I wanted more berserker mode. That's all. I leave the film to your judgment, but say this: fifty cent Tuesday at the Dollar Theatre. 

In video game news, Martian Manhunter went onto the Injustice Hero Roster back on Tuesday. 

He's alright. Not sure on the $4.99 tag, though

I finally downloaded The Walking Dead: 400 Days expansion of which I enjoyed. It's short-and-sweet while still delivering on the tailored-game idea. However, not so much on emotionally attaching you to anyone specific. 

Bioshock: Infinite is finally allowing gamers to cash in on their Season Pass purchase with challenge maps and a bit of content set the night before the Fall of Rapture taking control of both Booker and Elizabeth/Anna (whoever you want to call her). It's a noir-theme with Elizabeth's taking on a more survival-horror aspect. Looks great, sounds even better. Can't wait to play. 

Notice Episode One. Ken Levine promised "more on the way"

I'm starting to feel like Jayne Cobb after Simon doped him on sedatives. Everything's all........bendy. 

Be sure to come on by here again later in the week as we get closer to Elysium's release and Kick Ass 2 a week later. I bow out here or, more specifically, pass out until I realize the computer table isn't a bed.

I have a blue robe while you still don't. What color will yours be? 

Midnight Movie Madness

As any film nut would do, I saw Pacific Rim again. The film is still getting shafted state-side, but on the international scale, box office returns couldn't be better and Japan's still waiting for its release. Mechs and monsters have always found a safe haven in their market. Legendary and Warner Bros are near breaking even. Once the film hits the remaining regions, I expect them to start generating a profit. Pacific Rim had plenty of hype and advertising for sure. My only concern was its timing and the fact that the Jaegers needed more action. This can be easily done with an anime prequel or with action figures I'll soon have on my shelf. Family-friendly films usually rack up easier than robot-on-monster beat 'em ups. I said it before and I'm saying it again. How Grown Ups 2 managed to topple Pacific Rim is still beyond my level of comprehension. In the long-run, Sandler will be forgotten as usual and del Toro will be remembered for dishing out a graphically pleasing, well-written action movie. Worthy of an Oscar? Perhaps not. Worthy of the public's attention? 

Buddy Jesus seems to think so

Moving on with cinema news (since that's all I ever seem to mention), The Wolverine berserks his way onto the silver screen against the Silver Samurai tonight. Some trash-talk has been done on Wolverine in the past. X-Men: The Last Stand and Wolverine: Origins were a wee bit hard to watch. This, however, isn't because of Hugh Jackman, but Brett-f*cking-Ratner and the geniuses who thought it a great idea to over-saturate Wolverine on-screen. I'm sorry, but all I want to see is Weapon X tearing through droves of mindless henchman and then a boss battle. 

I kid, I kid. Similar to The Dark Knight and Man of Steel, Marvel's heroes do need a certain level of severity or solemnity to bring their comic-book counterparts down to reality. Twentieth Century Fox hasn't done this in the respect Marvel Studios has with the Avengers line-up movies. These characters were grounded in this world and (in Thor's case) on Asgard. 

Let's go through the list of disappointing Marvel movies*. It may take a while: 

Hulk

Daredevil

Electra

Fantastic Four

Rise of the Silver Surfer

X2: X-Men United (everything but Wolverine going berserk in the mansion)

X-Men: The Final Stand

Spiderman 

Spiderman 2

Spiderman 3

The Amazing Spiderman (let's face it, the Lizard could've been done better)

*those distributed by Twentieth Century Fox

X-Men: First Class was decent because of Matthew Vaughn's direction. His work on Kick-Ass assured me he knew how to handle comic book movies. And this scene still gets me: 

Classic Wolverine

Reviews I've read thus far regarding The Wolverine have been promising. Trailers can be misleading. Horror flicks in the past ten years have proven that as fact. I'm as confident with James Mangold directing The Wolverine as I was with Matthew Vaughn and Bryan Singer with their respective X-Men films. It's midnight movie madness for me tonight. My own review depends solely on how well the film was for me and those who go along for the show. Thirty minute post show discussions can go either way. We'll see how Jackman's latest performance fairs against movie-goers growing increasingly tired of superhero movies. This much can be said of our generation. 

We are children of the comic books. The 80s brought original films by the dozens. Thirty years later and we're neck-deep in Marvel movies, the occasional DC, and reboots/remakes to last until the Rapture. 

If you don't believe me, then take a gander.

Bridesmaids? Seriously? 

I'll be honest. That graph just made me start crying. While I go take care of that, go see The Wolverine and decide yourself if he still has a chance. 

Still don't have a blue robe? Tough luck. This one's mine. 

The New Look

Before anyone who reads this gets scared, yes, you're at the right place. The Late Duck was badly injured and forced to.....regenerate into The Blue Robe. 

See what I did there. 

I made a Doctor Who reference. 

That's right, dear readers, I've been on a month-long Doctor Who marathon. 

Did I watch the original doctors? 

No, why would I want to subject myself to THAT level of cheesy campy-ness? I'm sorry, but there's no way in real or fictitious Hell I'm ever going near the 20th century versions of the Doctor. I'd laugh my ass off the entire time at how ridiculous everything is. I, like every reasonable sci-fi fan, dove into the 2005 era starting with Christopher Eccleston. I always knew Doctor Who seemed interesting. 

Holy f*ck have I ever been more right in my life. Doctor Who has consumed my month of July. In just three weeks, I've blazed through five series. An entire universe that's been sitting at my doorstep for EIGHT YEARS finally came waltzing into my room. I haven't looked back. Nights spent out at the bars? Psshh, I'd rather be in the TARDIS than a boozy....booze....hall. 

Everyone has their favorite Doctor. Unfortunately for me, I only have three to choose from. Christopher Eccleston made a fantastic (see what I did there again?) Doctor for someone who's trying to ease into the series. He was serious, he was funny, and then gone. I didn't worry for long until the tenth Doctor stepped onto the scene. 

Everyone always raved about David Tennant and I finally saw why. His run as the Doctor was, quite possibly, the best Doctor Who has ever seen. He ran through the gauntlet of emotions: happy, sad, pissed off, love-sick. Tennant made the Doctor feel human while still maintaining the fact he's a Time Lord living with the curse of eternity. I just wanted one more Tennant series. His last line was hard to hear and bear. Three series with him as the Doctor and you get used to his antics. "I don't want to go" echoes just as much with the fans. 

Allons-y...

As far as companions go, Rose was brilliant with both the ninth and tenth Doctor. Her connection with the tenth Doctor gave the stories more weight. I felt grounded in that universe because of the emotions passed between the two. And when the Doctor lost Rose, I teared up a bit. His disconnection with Martha made sense after being separated from someone he felt legitimate feelings (attraction, if not actual love). 

Martha Jones was fun, I will admit. She brought the intellect Rose didn't have (to be fair, she was a med student). The Doctor's reluctance to begin a new relationship, though, prevented from any connection or care to be made. I can say the same or far less for Donna Noble. In fact, this is how I felt most of the time with Donna: 

Or this

Her voice, her attitude, her actions. Dear sweet Gallifrey, how was the Doctor able to stand the bitch? Midnight was a welcomed episode mainly due to she was hardly in the f*cking episode. I would've gone with anyone else but Donna. River Song, Sarah Jane Smith again, but not that daft ginger. 

Going back to the tenth Doctor's regeneration, I really didn't want to move out of the Tennant-era, but after watching Matt Smith as the Eleventh for a bit I started to feel more at ease. Karen Gillan made the transition smoother as Amy Pond. Mainly because she's gorgeous. Amy's character stands out as a companion. Yeah, she runs afoul, but still holds her own or at least doesn't flip the f*ck out like Donna. Arthur Darvill definitely adds his own in ways Noel Clarke's Mickey just couldn't mount up to until well into Series Two. Rory and Amy make for the perfect companion-couple the Doctor needs to make his rounds. I know they won't last forever, but at least throughout the rest of Series Six I'll be content. 

In other non-Whovian news, Pacific Rim's been getting hit with quite a bit of flak. I saw the epic on opening day and found very few red flags. I won't go into heavy review mode as I'm a week late, but in no way did it deserve to be beaten by Grown Ups 2. F*ck that noise. Adam Sandler beat giant mechs opening a can of whoop-ass on under-water aliens? Get me off of the f*cking rock, please. Let's see.......bad-ass robots controlled by two pilots whose minds are melded together laying a whole new brand of hurt down on del Toro-esque aliens (they look the part of the monsters from Pan's Labyrinth, so it's legit and awesome) or Adam Sandler forcing out another steaming pile of bantha poodoo. 

Please, if you're a self-respecting movie-goer, go enjoy Pacific Rim. I want to watch it again on the IMAX screen. 

How can you not love something that looks like this? F*ck you, Sandler. 

All of this regenerating has me exhausted. Maybe a hot cup of tea will put me straight.

I believe a new catchphrase is in order. 

Jolly good? 

No.

Tally-ho?

Not quite.

I have a robe. Mine's blue. What color is yours? 

There Be Zombies...

Here's a question: Do we really need the belief of zombies? 

Don't answer that. It's rhetorical. 

Of course, we do! 

Here's another question: Do you think you'll survive the zombie apocalypse? 

Don't answer that either. It's still rhetorical. 

I know all of you reading this won't survive because you listen to popular media. Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, The Walking Dead, and so on suffer from one or more curse(s). 

1) Ridiculously sized groups- committing this cardinal offense is punishable by essentially losing your entire crew at once or one by one. Larger groups always cause more issues than they can solve. "Hey, everyone! I'm going to be the leader, so the rest of you shut the f*ck up and do what I say!" Yeah, like that bullshit ever works out in the end. Let's do a re-cap, Rick Grimes, how many bastards did you lose? That's right. Your wife, newly born child (only in the comics), best friend, and several poor, dumbass motherf*ckers who couldn't wise up and chain your ass to the nearest park bench. Hell, your own son has lost an eye and your right hand was lopped off by a raving psychotic with a Hitler complex. 

My solution: NEVER GO WITH YOUR ENTIRE F*CKING FAMILY! Yes, I know, if your family's still alive you'd want to be with them. No.

Just....no. Emotions cause problems. Ditch empathy and embrace apathy. That brings me to my next curse.

2) Being overly emotional- if you haven't fallen madly in love, lost your cherry, or tied the knot by the zombie apocalypse, then it's time to close up shop. Once people start tearing each other apart with nothing but cannibalistic tendencies running things, emotions have not a place in your "give-a-f*ck" pocket. "But what if I meet the boy/girl of my dreams?" Tough luck. Most likely, they'll try to kill you for a Twinkie or something practical. Shove a person far enough into a dark corner, then watch them come out swinging with a machine gun or sharp/blunted object. 

My solution: Start drinking heavily. Seriously, drink enough starting right now and maybe you'll kill that one brain cell controlling emotions. 

3) Use of shotguns or other loud, obnoxious weaponry- yeah, I get it. Everyone wants to blow off a zombie's head with a bad-ass shotgun. Go get 'em, tiger. I'll watch from safety while your dumb-assery attracts every f*cking zombie within earshot of that weapon discharge. And if you're outside popping caps like a motherf*cker, I'm just going to laugh even harder from my secluded hide-out or as I'm driving by your mangled corpse. 

My solution: Remember all of those games where stealth was a viable option and probably garnered a better ending? You should try exercising those tactics in a more realistic setting. Ten-gauge shotgun.......how about using a bow and arrow that won't jam, doesn't need lubricating or any extensive maintenance, or reloading with those precious bullets that aren't quite so much in abundance anymore. 

Quietly, if you please, you crazy gun-toting bastards

4) Shacking up in some random joint- I don't give a shit if it's a mall, house/apartment, grocery store, or a high-rise corporate office. Staying in one location means several things, but the most important is that it takes only one dumb-ass to alert the massive f*cking horde around your precious hangout of your location. "Hey, everybody! Let's go on the roof and start shooting zombies that look like celebrities!" Wait, says the only intelligent member of the group, shouldn't we just keep to ourselves and NOT let the ravenous horde of unrelenting flesh-eaters know that we're hiding in a f*cking mall when we should be moving from location to location gathering supplies? Oh, nevermind, someone opened the wrong door and now the fast-moving zombies are rushing our humble abode. 

My solution: Remember Book of Eli? Different type apocalypse, but he kept moving and stopped only for supplies. Don't be an idiot. Be more like Denzel. 

Keep these curses to heart, but never commit them. Two to four, but not one more worked in Zombieland and look what happened. Only Bill Murray died. Personally, I'm going at the apocalypse alone and as far from metropolitan areas as I can. If you think about tagging along......don't. Whether you're friend or not, I won't hesitate to leave anyone behind to keep myself moving. 

Oh, too soon? It's been on the internets for quite some time.

Whether you listened or said f*ck it....I don't care. You'll be a zombie and I'll be driving a screwdriver through your brain. The best piece of advice I can ever give regarding this beloved version of the apocalypse is never listen to anyone but yourself. And don't trust anyone. Keep moving, shut the f*ck up, don't ask questions, and stay alive at any cost without compromising your life. Take what you have to and don't feel that tinge of regret/remorse. Yes, you may end up screwing over your best friend of fifteen years for a fried golden cream puff pastry, but who's it going to be? You, him/her, or the zombie horde? 

I'll most likely end up dying well into the beginning of the outbreak, so look for me amidst the droves of infected. 

Make the choice yourself to believe. You'll either be dead or killing those who aren't quite dead. 

Oh, one more thing before I forget: a quick run-down of recent movies. World War Z (approval met only by not reading the book). Monsters University (approval met). Despicable Me 2 (approval met, I promised a better review, but who cares?). Stay tuned for Pacific Rim this Friday. 

As always...catch it late or on time only at The Late Duck. 

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June in Review

June has come to a close. This month has been packed to the brim and summer isn't near over. We've had everything from Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson coming back together for The Internship to Kal-El laying the hurt down on Zod, Brad Pitt blasting his way through the zombie horde, James Franco and Seth Rogen surviving the apocalypse, and James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski going off to Monsters University. 

That was just in theatres.

Naughty Dog gave us what could be a leading contender for Game of the Year with The Last of Us. Joel and Ellie's adventure through a ravaged United States is, without a doubt, one of the last greatest hits on the Playstation 3. Beyond: Two Souls is due out in a few months, so keep a weathered eye on the horizon. 

E3 was nothing more than a dick-measuring contest between Sony and Microsoft. Needless to say, Sony bitch-slapped a then-DRM riddled console. With the announcement the PS4 would NOT require an always-online connection, thousands upon thousands of gamers flocked to the online stores to secure a pre-order with whatever exclusive titles. We finally saw the design of Sony's next-gen system and it honestly looked like two PS2s glued together. Ouya even made an E3 appearance...just not the kind they expected. Dudes, shell out the money if you want positive press instead of being booted off the island. It's only a cool $100? Awesome, I still want to see more gameplay footage. 

Near the verge of going postal on negative gamers, Microsoft's Don Mattrick gave way to the extreme backlash with the Xbox One's always-online approach. In all honesty, what the f*ck were you dumbasses thinking? Granted, I didn't and still don't give a damn about the DRM requirement, but seriously? Go ahead and f*ck over the gaming community again, Microsoft. It may not be in the form of a beautifully bright red ring o' death, but you nearly made that muck up again. Your exclusives look great, but don't cut out the little gamer's chance to play these brilliant titles. 

Oh, Nintendo made an appearance as well. Something about a new Super Smash Bros or whatever. Please...give up. You had your time, Mario....and Link, Samus, Fox, Luigi, Kirby, whoever else under the big red logo. 

Marvel Now re-started Guardians of the Galaxy which is now on #4. DC's New 52 kicked off the new(er) Batman/Superman collaboration. Age of Ultron came to an end, Daredevil has a new look, Superman's pulling a Django and going unchained (see what I did there?), Deadpool Killustrated went trade paperback, and I've yet to read any of my several single issues. 

I did finish Batman: The Killing Joke. Shame how I finally completed a graphic novel that's been around for twenty-five years.

So. Many. Comics.

While I only have a handful of paperbacks to burn through, my single issue collection is starting to bury me. July won't be any less cumbersome comic-wise as Deadpool Kills Deadpool starts next month. Luckily, there won't be any AAA video game titles launching in the coming months, so my full focus can be put on comics and the oh-so-shiny movies in the coming weeks. What movies, you ask?

The Lone Ranger, Despicable Me 2, Pacific Rim, The Wolverine, R.I.P.D., and Red 2

As The Late Duck moves into video format (don't worry, I'll still be here on the blog), more and more video discussions and/or reviews will start showing up. Our Youtube channel is finally up with few posts, but more content will come in the near future. The team's expanding gradually which only means the hangout chats get more and more interestingly off-topic. 

If anyone at all reads this blog, you're welcome to join the ramblings on Google+ or check us out on Youtube. Like us, subscribe to us, tell your friends, and always remember...

Catch it late or on time only at The Late Duck.

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Some Final Thoughts

I intentionally left out information regarding The Last of Us for a couple reasons:

1) At the time, I hardly touched the surface of the game

2) I had yet to play multiplayer

3) I wrote that post at 2 AM 

Permit me then, if you will, the opportunity to close out some final thoughts over the game. 

Gameplay
I discussed this only briefly last time. Naughty Dog forces you to save every bullet for that opportune moment. You'll feel guilty or foolish for pulling off a premature shot that hits the wall rather than the advancing horde of clickers. Luckily for the bow, you can retrieve arrows that are still intact for later use. One of the best methods when using the bow is to combine it with the 'sights and sounds' perk to know what direction enemies are heading in and how many shots to save. Aiming for the head on clickers almost guarantees a kill. Sometimes the arrow only breaks the protective fungus face-shield thingy. This simply isn't Uncharted. Bullets are few and far between. Melee in the form of fists, boards, baseball bats, machetes, and hatchets become your best friend when either out of ammo or forced into stealth. Upgrading your melee weapon increases its durability for more hits and grants you a bonus insta-kill. 

Graphics
Again, a subject in which I was excessively vague. Those who played Uncharted will know Naughty Dog can push the PS3 to its limit. Absolutely stunning graphical backdrops and character design. The Last of Us never falls short of immersing the player into the apocalyptic landscape of a long-gone industrial nation. Locations such as downtown Boston and Pittsburgh bring alive the sense of desolation and desperate acts to quell this heavy threat. Skyscrapers buckled under the intense bombings to cleanse the area of the infection. Buildings fell onto other structures, rubble litters the streets, and cities once booming with life now resemble ghost towns with only the sounds of birds chirping to demonstrate signs of life remaining. This is no longer man's world. Nature has reclaimed her natural right to reign and Naughty Dog shows this without a hitch. From moss growing over streets and cars to vines and tree roots stretching across buildings, we are truly within a new No Man's Land. 

Multiplayer
Not many online versus matches generate a real feeling of dread. Multiplayer pits two teams of four in a deathmatch-style game. You're given a selection of load-outs and the option to customize your gear. From there, various perks can be added such as Marathon giving you a boost in speed or Reviver to assist downed teammates faster. Spare parts are the multiplayer currency to level up and buy new gear. The backpack from single-player returns with the same ability to craft medkits, molotovs, or nail bombs to further screw over the opposing team. Just like single-player, the game doesn't stop just because you did. Find a shady spot or get a team member to cover you long enough to heal or craft. The bow is more deadlier online than in story mode. If your skill is high enough, find the high ground or stalk your opponent. I would, however, recommend having the shiv perk if you're the hunter-type player. Scoring comes in two ways: downing an enemy or executing them. Once they're down, go in for the kill or collect dropped parts. You'll need them to meet your match quota (usually around sixteen starting off). With every match won, more 'survivors' will join your camp in the form of Facebook friends. Do yourself a favor and don't suck at multiplayer. Winning a match actually feels rewarding especially if you just ran out of ammo and the last kill of the game came from you via bashing the poor soul's brains out on the pavement. Grab a few mates and enjoy one of two modes available right now. I hope Naughty Dog adds a horde mode down the road. Nothing can be more brown-pants inducing than spotting a couple Bloaters stomping towards you. 

Well, I believe that wraps up The Last of Us. Stretch the re-playability as far as you can to last until Fall. We're in for a long ride. 

Catch it late or on time only on The Late Duck.