Marvel’s “The Avengers” Team Up to Take Your Money

Friday, May 4, 2012 by Leave a comment

In 2008, Marvel Studios released the first of many film adaptations of their own comic book properties. With “Iron Man,” the legendary publisher took great care in making sure the summer blockbuster did the source material justice, and succeeded with flying colors (red and gold, primarily). Those who stayed after the credits were treated to a short scene showcasing Samuel L. Jackson as a mysterious man with an eye patch saying something about an “Avengers Initiative.” With that moment, comic fans everywhere collectively shit a massive brick made of tremendous excitement and towering expectations. Four years later, Marvel Studios has delivered on their promise of an Avengers film. Was it even remotely possible for them to meet the staggering expectations of their fans? Find out after the break!

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Wretched Returns with Son of Perdition

Thursday, April 26, 2012 by Leave a comment

For fans of Between the Buried and Me, The Black Dahlia Murder, and Opeth

I never expected Wretched’s 2010 sophmore release, Beyond the Gate, to be as good as it was. It was leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor, The Exodus of Autonomy, and featured some of the most impressively original songwriting I had heard from an American death-metal band in a very long time. Well, the Northern Carolina metalheads have returned with their follow-up, Son of Perdition, last month, and though it may not be as huge a leap forward as Beyond the Gate was, it’s another strong offering from one of the most underrated emerging bands in death metal.

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The Conceal Pull No Stunts

Monday, April 23, 2012 by 1 Comment

Image

I’m not going to lie, I’m fighting off a massive hangover today. The only music existing in my media library that can supplement how shitty I feel is the debut release from San Jose natives The Conceal, entitled Endless River | Stunted Prayer, which just hit the internet like a cheap whiskey-infused dirty bomb last Monday. Since then, my ears have been giving it a lot of attention and I am enthusiastically impressed by this new act coming from the South Bay (aka that place where a bunch of bands try to sound like Dredg, Circa Survive, and anything Post-Rock).

The Conceal is a reboot of Flood Peak, headed by Mike McClatchey (ex-Clearing Autumn Skies, Apiary, Early Graves) that features a few down-tuned, slower rehashes of songs from Flood Peak’s EP Filling Flasks along with mostly new material. This being said, anyone expecting The Conceal to be anything like its former incarnation will be in for a big surprise. Endless River | Stunted Prayer is a 45 minute masterpiece of doom, sludge, feedback, and industrial influenced shit-rock that brings a refreshing sense of creativity to heavy music. There is no mimicry or trend-following here, only trendsetting.

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It’s Not About the Destination, It’s About the Journey

Monday, April 23, 2012 by Leave a comment

Few games come by and leave such a lasting and powerful impression on me and even less often can I say a game  moved me. I most certainly wouldn’t expect a game completely devoid of narrative, dialogue, and any co-op communication like ThatGameCompany’s newest downloadable epic, Journey, would be the one do it.

Maybe I’m a sucker for weird, artsy, abstract games (see my review for Limbo) but Journey really floored the little expectations I had for it. Like many others, I had heard the buzz that the game generated when it first came out exclusively for Playstation Plus subscribers more than a month ago. I was ready to buy the game then and there, but because of the game’s exclusivity, I wasn’t able to and almost completely forgot about it. I mean, is there still anyone that actually pays for that service? Anyway, the game was publicly released a few weeks after that, and I finally got the chance to check it out.

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The Koloss is in the Building

Friday, April 20, 2012 by Leave a comment

Anybody else see this and think of a really fucked up Magic Eye? No? Alright.

It’s hard to put into words how I feel about the new Meshuggah album, Koloss, but if I had to choose just one word to describe it, without a doubt, it’d be the word massive. From start to finish, Koloss is simply crushing, and there’s just something about the tones and grooves used on this record that will simply floor you. Koloss begs the question that many of Meshuggah’s albums have: how the HELL is Meshuggah going to top this?

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God Of War Ascension Announced

Thursday, April 19, 2012 by Leave a comment


So maybe it was just wishful thinking that led us to believe Playstation was about to announce God Of War 4.  I was looking forward to seeing the next chapter in Kratos’ life, after the chaotic ending of the third game.  But it turns out we’ll never know what happens.  The teaser that Playstation put up on their Facebook page was in fact advertising a new God Of War game, but SURPRISE, it’s another prequel. Read more of this post

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God Of War 4????

Friday, April 13, 2012 by Leave a comment

On Wednesday, April 11th, PlayStation mysteriously changed their Facebook cover photo to this enigmatic image.  For those of you who can’t read (which is hopefully none of you, otherwise what are you doing on this site?), it says is big beautiful letters “Will Vengeance Bring Redemption? 04.19.12″  Rumors have been flying left and right about what it might represent, and about 90% of said rumors are pointing to God Of War 4. Read more of this post

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Netflix Pick: “Submarine” comes of age

Wednesday, April 4, 2012 by Leave a comment

I’m one of those people that finds it very difficult to resist the draw of a good coming-of-age story. Something about tales of young people discovering who they are and what it’s like to be a part of the “real world” really gets to me, particularly if they’re presented with style and a unique voice. Therefore, I was very excited when I heard the rumblings of a great one making the rounds at film festivals a year or so ago. That film was “Submarine,” and it’s now available on Netflix Instant Streaming, allowing me to finally check it out for myself. If you’re wondering how much I loved this movie, read all about it after the break!

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Recap & Reactions: Mad Men reads your “Tea Leaves”

Sunday, April 1, 2012 by Leave a comment

On a night of exciting season premieres (Game of Thrones, The Killing), I’ve decided to keep my focus trained on the continuing efforts of AMC’s period epic, Mad Men. Earlier tonight, we were treated to the fifth season’s sophomore episode, “Tea Leaves.” While it may not be clear exactly where this season is headed just yet, there are definite traces of the series’ characteristic slow burn. Check out my spoiler-filled thoughts and comment with your own after the break!

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Satisfy Your Hunger

Wednesday, March 28, 2012 by Leave a comment

katniss

Guys, those are weapons behind her. Lots of weapons. So start paying attention.

I’m not really sure what started Suzanne Collin’s “The Hunger Games” growing association with the “Twilight” flicks or when exactly having a female protagonist meant that a movie was a chick-flick. Besides the horrendous merchandising decisions (as evident on T-shirts sold across web stores nationwide), the two hit-books-to-hit-film adaptations don’t have all that much in common. Sure, they both star a brunette female protagonist. I guess there are two male characters that can be perceived as love interests — though they’re not, really (at least, not at first) — but that’s where the similarities end. Granted, I don’t know two shits about “Twilight,” though that’s mainly because I have no interest in them whatsoever. But let me set the record straight: “The Hunger Games” is not a a cheesy chick flick with glitter and men that make up for their lack of being able to keep on their shirts with having excessive pecs. Though Gary Ross’s screenplay falls short in a few minor areas compared to the book it’s based on, this is an incredibly well-made and true to its roots flick that you have to check out.

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Netflix Pick: “Shut Up Little Man!” will invade your privacy

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 by Leave a comment

After a couple of weeks off due to complete, inescapable entrenchment in following the Mass Effect 3 controversy, my weekly Netflix Pick feature HAS RETURNED! I know, I know… You were all just stuck having absolutely nothing to watch because you are unable to decide for yourselves, and for that I apologize. I, myself, had a bit of trouble deciding what to watch this week, so I deferred to the “Top 10 for Darren” section of my PS3 Netflix interface. Of the recommended titles, I was most intrigued by an odd-sounding documentary entitled “Shut Up Little Man!” Was Netflix right to have the audacity to recommend this film to my discerning tastes? FINDOUTAFTERTHEBREAK!

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The Collective Boners of the World Are Rizing for Rize of the Fenix

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 by Leave a comment

Rize of the Fenix

The D is back.

The Tenacious fucking D is back.

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Doctor Who: Season Seven Preview and Companion Reveal

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 by Leave a comment

If you’re a fan of the British sci-fi series Doctor Who, you’re probably as excited as I am about this season of interstellar adventures. After last season’s cliffhanger, fans are on fire with the possibilities that lie ahead. After an update from executive producer Steven Moffat, the two loyal companions to the Doctor (Matt Smith), Amelia Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill), will be leaving the Doctor’s side after the 5th episode of the upcoming 7th season. But who will replace them? Another duo? A friend from the past? Or a completely new face?

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Recap & Reactions: Mad Men returns with “A Little Kiss”

Sunday, March 25, 2012 by 2 Comments

I recently took the time to catch up on Mad Men, AMC’s critical and populous smash hit, by watching all four previous seasons on Netflix Instant Watch. Luckily, I managed to do so in time for the series’ eagerly anticipated return earlier tonight. We here at Wrecked have been wanting to branch out, content-wise, so I’ve decided to take advantage of Mad Men‘s heated, two hour re-entry into the pop culture atmosphere and start a series of episode reaction articles. Safe to say, spoilers and personal opinions after the break.

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OFWGKTA: Loiter Squad

Sunday, March 25, 2012 by 3 Comments

It appears that winning a few MTV awards, becoming the most iconic young rap group of their generation, and being the most vulgar group allowed to rap on television wasn’t enough for leader and frontman Tyler the Creator. Now they have a television show on Adult Swim.

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Who Ya Gonna Call? Not Bill Murray

Sunday, March 25, 2012 by Leave a comment


For the last few months, Ghostbusters fans have been following the news about the possible release of a third film. Dan Aykroyd has been releasing monthly updates on the progress of the movie, but it’s still at a very early stage.  The script is still being tweaked and modified, production and finances don’t seem to be an issue, but one major road block stands in the way: Bill Murray.

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Take Back Earth (and, like, the rest of the galaxy) in Mass Effect 3

Monday, March 12, 2012 by Leave a comment

FemShep doesn't get nearly enough play. SHE'S JUST AS BADASS, Y'ALL.

In 2007, Bioware and Microsoft Studios introduced the world to the sprawling science-fiction universe of Mass Effect, a vast, story-driven action/RPG. In 2010, Bioware brought us the much anticipated sequel with the aid of publishing behemoth Electronic Arts. Mass Effect 2 was a much leaner, more action-focused experience, stripping out many of the dense RPG mechanics in favor of streamlining the cover-based action mechanics. The constant in the Mass Effect series, however, has always been a notable attention to detail in the story, lore, and character; something Bioware has been known for as a studio for quite some time. Just this past week, Bioware and EA released the final game in their epic space-faring action/RPG trilogy, Mass Effect 3. Does it go out in a blaze of glory, or retreat disappointingly into the darkness?

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Casket of Cassandra Debut New Single, “Breathless”

Friday, March 9, 2012 by Leave a comment

Longtime readers of Wrecked or Bay Area locals should be familiar with Casket of Cassandra. In case you need a reminder, Casket of Cassandra, the female-fronted metalcore outfit from Concord, was featured on our site when they played the Bay Area Metal Fest last summer, put on by our good buddies in Nemesis Records. Well, we take our eyes off these guys for a minute, and Nemesis ends up signing Casket of Cassandra behind our backs. Where’s our record deal, Nemesis? Whatever, any music we’d put together would just be too progressive and too ahead of its time. It’s cool.

Anyway, Nemesis has agreed to let us stream Casket of Cassandra’s new single exclusively on Wrecked for a short period of time. Check it out after the jump.

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Netflix Pick: “I Think We’re Alone Now” is Sadly Fascinating

Tuesday, March 6, 2012 by Leave a comment

This week’s Netflix Pick is oddly similar to last week’s in a few ways. Most notably, it’s a story about two troubled people from very different backgrounds finding friendship by bonding over mutual interests. Unlike “Mary and Max,” however, this film is a documentary. It follows a couple of people very much obsessed with 80′s pop star Tiffany. Why? You’ll just have to watch the film to find out. See if it’s worth your time after the break!

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Eclipse Leaves Listeners in the Dark

Monday, March 5, 2012 by 3 Comments

My first thought upon hearing the first few minutes of Veil of Maya’s new record: “ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!” I couldn’t tell if this was some kind of joke. It sounds exactly like the last record. And the last record sounded exactly like the one before that. I’m really at a loss as to how the band could put this record out and not think it sounds too much like their previous albums.

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