Movie Review Monday: Safe House: Safe as Houses?

Hello Cadets! Welcome to Movie Review Monday! Let’s get this new schedule started with my review of Safe House.

First I would like to start this out with the fact that I am not a huge Denzel Washington fan. I like the concept of his movies but at times they are formulaic and, dare I say, predictable because they all seem to attempt to be too unpredictable. That being said the big selling point is that I like espionage films and I love Brendan Gleeson so I gave it a shot, and here are the results.

The Good:

The story, while still following that aforementioned formula, did have quite a few turns to the point, you knew the twist was there but it was hard to figure out where the audience was being led. I enjoyed the action scenes and the breaks in between where the story took over again. No action scene was necessarily unnecessary and the choreography was, for the most part, timed well. A big shout out to the people who put the car chases together, they were almost beautiful in their complex simplicity. The ending was slightly predictable in the sense you could figure out the outcome, it was the how and why that kept you guessing until the reveal.

The actors were spot on, the emotion was there, pain where necessary, almost to a point where it didn't always feel like it was just acting. Ryan Reynolds showed a lot of depth in his performance and for that I will forgive him for Green Lantern (just kidding, I thought it was funny). Denzel played a cool and calm antagonist, a smooth talker and almost had you rooting for him even though you know he's the bad guy.

The Bad:

I know it is a popular method but there really is such thing as too much camera shake. The fights, as I said, were mostly well timed, and this is where that statement is elaborated on. The camera shook as if the cameraman was holding it while participating in the fight, not to mention the plethora of cuts thrown in randomly. It’s hard to follow when the scene is shown for two seconds from angle 1 then cuts to a second of angle 2 then enter and high-angled slow-mo shot. I honestly just assume the fighting was so badly executed that they use that style to cover the gaps, punches thrown too slow, et cetera, ad nauseum. That was honestly my only gripe, but then again not everyone can pull of the Bahnhof Rumble scene in Hanna (If you don’t know what I’m talking about you are missing out).

Overall this movie was amazing and I would definitely watch it again. The story was riveting and the acting was fantastic, and as far as I’ve researched, this is not a remake! If I had to give it a rating this movie gets an A- (could have been an A+ if it wasn’t for the crazy camera/fight scene editing).

I hope you like the first official Movie Review Monday. You can check out the latest updates and upcoming events at War Kitten Revue on facebook or follow me on twitter @WarKittenRevue. This is War Kitten signing off and asking Nintendo fans to forgive Michael Bay. You all thought it was awesome when everything exploded in Goldeneye 64 including wooden crates, he just took it to a new level. #GoldeneyeComplex

I'm joining the modern age! Follow me on Facebook and Twitter!

Ok cadets, we are starting to gain some momentum here, we are at 12 likes on facebook, yay double digits! As I said, big things are coming and here comes something shameless. At 30 likes on facebook I will post the Rules and Regulations for the April Fools Contest. Since the two big cons I will be attending will be C2E2 (April 13, 14, and 15) and ACEN (April 27, 28, and 29) I will be holding a contest for people who are following my page, in order to participate you will have to like the link below! Details will be coming soon so please stay tuned, tomorrow I will start the new schedule:

Movie Review Mondays - Each Monday will be a movie review of anything from blockbusters to indies, I am always open to suggestions!

Work-in-Progress Wednesdays - This day is for projects and new videos on my youtube channel, which will hopefully launch soon!

Game Night Fridays - I will be doing a game review every Friday from the old busted to the new hotness.

Potpurri Sundays - these are the non-specific articles such as top ten lists and random ramblings about a variety of topics.

Reports on conventions will probably replace Potpurri Sundays but now that I have wi-fi it'll be easier to track what I am doing during those long and hectic three day events.

Either way, I hope you guys all keep checking in, you can find me on facebook at or on twitter @WarKittenRevue. This is War Kitten signing out, so long and thanks for all the fish!

I Didn't Panic and Even Remembered My Towel

Hello Cadets! It's been a rocky stretch of road for me but I am pleased to say I am coming back, prepare yourself for some fun stuff! There will be big changes such as a youtube channel, possibly a new facebook page, and lots and lots of reviews including the new Silver Bullet trade paperback (Thank you, Lonely Robot!). Once I am situated and have my new office set up I will be writing a post a day until I'm caught up including reviews, events and even a contest! Please stay tuned and bear with me, I promise it won't be much longer! This is War Kitten signing off and sticking out her thumb, towel in hand.

Also, the image above is from 1stwebdesigner.com, it's actually a really nifty site.

You Love to Hate and Hate to Love and How I Feel About It

Hello cadets! It has been an interesting week and after a couple of even more interesting conversations I felt we were due for a slight comparison rant. Let me preface this with the fact that I absolutely love movies, they are great for escaping reality and inciting emotion, it’s escapism at its finest. That being said, I cannot stand film critics, overly critical people, and the dreaded elitist.

I understand that I am a bit of a critic myself but there is a vast difference between myself and most of the critics in the news and magazines. I am aware that I do not like dramatic love stories and depression inducing movies, that being said I do not review movies such as the Notebook or Pursuit of Happiness purely because I have a strong bias. That being said I hate hate hate critics who review action movies and complain at the lack of realism, or watch an animated movie and nitpick at it for being animated. I feel if you go in with bias against a movie that you should have a disclaimer at the beginning of your review. I would like to see two reviews, one for diehard movie fans and another for the casual movie-goer; to me it just makes sense.

That brings me to my next bit of disdain, overly critical people. I understand you want to get the most for your money when you see a film but if you want extreme realism please do not see any comedies, action movies, animated movies, in fact, just go watch a nice documentary. Movies are typically fiction and therefore have many fictional elements; bending physics to fit a story is one of many tactics a film may use. I understand it can be irksome at times but instead of getting angry try to laugh at the obvious flaws, it’s just a movie, no need to get worked up over minor details or slight plot holes. To me a movie is a method of escaping reality, no need to drag reality with you into a fantasy world.

Last but definitely not least is the elitist. These are the people who declare a movie that is a remake, reimagining, port from paper to film, etc… as awful based on a brief synopsis and trailer or other people’s opinions (a.k.a. mob mentality). Again, I can understand the why but sometimes the hyper-critical hysteria in bashing a movie is just too much, especially if it’s not even out yet. These people tend to get angry at things such as the Thor movie because it wasn’t the version of the story they liked, saw it in the theater anyway and then bashed it and declared how awful it was despite the fact that they technically supported the movie by seeing it in theaters. Another aspect that made me a bit batty was the fact that many people refused to see the Watchmen and spoke poorly about it because Alan Moore refused to give it a chance and declared war on the film. To me that sounds like a bunch of followers who were incapable of forming their own opinion lest they displease the creator. I will give Moore a lot of leeway as that was his brainchild and his legacy but that being said he should have known that this movie was a long time coming due to the comic’s legendary status. Either way, people need to chill out and learn to enjoy it, it’s not like the movie Priest (now there was a travesty).

All in all I feel people have started to look for more than entertainment in movies. You can learn important lessons or finally see your favorite hero as he or she would be in our world but the reality is that movies are, in fact, not reality. Just because you didn’t learn a life lesson does not make the movie bad, and if you go into an animated film expecting realism you must have missed the part where they said animated. That being said I will continue watching comedies, action flicks, and B movies because it’s an hour and a half to three hours that I was able to let myself be absorbed into a different world and for a little while shifted my focus to something fun. That being said, this is War Kitten signing off and informing you that if I see any sparkling vampires while I’m in Seattle I cannot control my impulse for vampire population control.

Coming soon!

Hello Cadets! This will be a short post while I recover from Wizard World Chicago. I only went for one day but it was extremely fun yet intense. I have many reviews coming your way including artist reviews, cosplay features, and comic reviews. Please stay tuned, I will try to do one a day until I'm done starting with the con report. Hope to see you all soon! This is War Kitten signing off and needing a nap.

Top 5 Zombie Games

Hello Cadets, I hope the weekend was kind to you. Now that you are all well versed in zombie classification it's time for a countdown. I Thought I'd go with the shorter list of zombie games. I am warning you that there will be no Call of Duty or Red Dead Redemption expansions on here, there are strictly zombie games that were about zombies from beginning to end. So I present to you the top 5 zombies games/series.

5. House of the Dead

This was the first rail shooter and first zombie game I ever played, the graphics had never been anything to hoot and holler about and the voice acting was Shakespearian in the sense that it was comically tragic, but the gore was strangely satisfying and the bosses were always impressive from first to last. This game has been a staple in my arcade diet since I was old enough to aim a lightgun.

4. Dead Rising

As the first sandbox zombie game this was a treat. Like Grand Theft Auto you run around completing different missions and you choices, successes and failures dictate the outcome of the game. The second game introduced a new hybrid weapon making system that at time were sometimes impractical yet almost always absolutely hysterical. I hope the creators will continue to create something new and extraordinary with each installment.

3. Dead Space

This is by far one of the scariest games I never played. The story, while long, was well worth sitting through and the scares would set you on edge for hours to come. Since I am a big wimp ever since attempting to play Fatal Frame 2 I have not tried again but even just sitting and watch I was entranced. The second installment was equally impressive and freaky and I look forward to further Dead Space spectating!


2. Resident Evil


I loved this series, the first shared the wonderful flaw of House of the Dead with the poor voice acting and the controls were wonky, and don’t even start with the camera angles. Here’s what they did right, the story was intriguing and there was a lot to build off of and build they did. The original characters split off into their own side stories and recently they have changed from reanimated zombies to infected. Also they learned from their mistakes and fixed the camera angles and began to change the controls. Now the game’s playability is near unrecognizable from it’s ancestor but the story remains 100% consistant and we are grateful for it.


1. Left 4 Dead (1 & 2)


I was never a fan of first person shooters until this game. The quick zombies and interestingly fleshed out worlds were something new, and the characters weren’t all military or police types, they were regular people making do with what was given to them. The special infected were a nice touch, to this day the Witch freaks me out a bit if I play alone. The introduction to the melee weapon and new special infected in the second installment were a refreshing touch to a game format that is unique and in a way typically Valve-like. I am excited for the new downloadable content that is on it’s way and the much talked about third game.



Tomorrow I will begin my zombie countdown of my top 10 zombie movies. There is a poll on The Litter-ati Where you can vote for your favorite zombie games and  voice your opinions. This is War Kitten signing off and pointing out that you almost became a Jill Sandwich.

Purell Could Help Defend Against Zombies After All...

Hello Cadets, for you here in the Midwest I hope you are staying cool. As I said before you have asked for more zombies and I am inclined to oblige. One thing I like about zombies is that they are complex in their simplicity. There have been a variety of spins on the genre but it is almost impossible to romanticize a zombie story unless the romance is between two survivors because, really, who wants to kiss a diseased undead corpse? Today’s post will be about the three different classifications of zombies. I hope you enjoy and please let me know if I miss anything.

The first type is the classic, rise from the grave, shambling zombie as portrayed in the 1932’s White Zombie. The reason for this is the original lore of how a zombie was created. There are many stories all over the world for centuries about zombies but there was one particular story In Haiti people would get voodoo potions from witch doctors for anything from holistic medicine to love potions but every so often these ‘potions’ would contain a tetrodotoxin to make the person appear to be dead. Bear in mind this was many many years ago before autopsies were common practice. Usually the person who fell victim would be buried alive for hours to days before being dug up by the witch doctor and put to work on plantations. By the time the ‘bodies’ were dug up the person would have developed brain damage from a lack of oxygen and there were times where they didn’t retrieve them fast enough and the person really died. The plantation owners were usually cruel as most slave owners are and would beat the people the essentially kidnapped. One instance the laborers had enough and attacked their abusers with the only tool available, their hands and teeth. One of the men did make it to a town and was recognized by a neighbor, marking the most well-known zombie sighting.

Since then the standard for a zombie is usually some sort of infection or disease that can be spread through zombie bites or being reanimated from a voodoo curse. These zombies are usually all sorts of grotesque, already partially decomposed, slow, and stupid, they can’t use doors or climb anything more complicated than stairs (if that). These are the zombies most typically seen in George A. Romero’s films or the Resident Evil series. These zombies are still terrifying because they do not stop until their head and brain are destroyed and they possess seemingly inhuman strength. Another twist Romero added in Return of the Living Dead and Land of the dead is that they can learn. One on it’s own, while no laughing matter, is hardly a challenge to dodge or dispatch of but a swarm of them could easily overpower a person as displayed in the first episode of Walking Dead. Shaun of the Dead even had something to add to the terror of these slow menaces in the fact that they are easily fooled by pretending to shamble and groan like them but people’s unwillingness to work together or accept the situation is just as dangerous as the zombies themselves and caused them to lose most of their crew. Needless to say slow and steady does not minimize the threat or amount of fear induced by these creepy slow-pokes.

That brings me to the next type, the fast moving zombies. The first film to feature this particular adrenaline-inducing terror was Return of the Living Dead in 1985, which wasn’t terribly scary but great fun. It was not a common trend until 2002 when Danny Boyle directed 28 Days Later. These badboys are of a whole other level of terror because usually they could move just as fast as the survivors but the difference is that they never slow down because they don’t get tired. Imagine trying to maneuver around debris, climb structures and just run like hell while dodging a monster that can do everything you do without slowing down or feeling pain, it’s a whole other level of unfair. On the plus side they are usually still lacking in intelligence and you can still fight if you are able to keep your wits about you but needless to say it’s a safe bet most of us will end up like those who fell victim in Zombieland, rundown and unable to defend against these quick moving horrors.

There is a whole different classification for zombies as of 2002 with the Rage infected people of 28 Days Later, this introduced the infected versus the reanimated. Infected does not apply to all fast moving zombies, as in the case of the Dawn of the Dead remake, but it does make up the majority. The difference is that the infected ‘zombies’ do not need to die to become a zombie. [Rec] was another prime example as was the remake Quarantine with the mutated rabies virus. There are a lot of movies that never reveal the cause of the zombies such as Shaun of the Dead so the safe bet is if they die before becoming a zombie it’s reanimation, not infection. Same can be applied to Left 4 Dead as we do not know the cause of infection and the zombies don’t try to eat the survivors but beat on them instead. Personally I like this spin on the zombie genre, it’s something new for a monster that’s been fabled for centuries.

I have to honest and say that I love how popular the zombie theme has gotten. I am sure with the resurgence of Grimm fairy tale remakes in the making that the trend is going to waver for a bit but the fans aren’t distracted for long. We aren’t in it for the love and romantic drama, we are in it for the gore, story, and even to see the unlikeliest of relationships form. I hope you all enjoyed learning about zombies, if I missed anything please let me know on my facebook group at The Litter-ati. On that note I bit you all farewell until tomorrow. This is War Kitten signing off and reminding you that voodoo priests with potions are the equivalent to a stranger in a van with free candy, usually not to be trusted.