The Cottage

A few weeks back I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to spend a couple of days relaxing up at "the cottage" with my cast and crew. A spacious, modern, winterized home on the shore of Lake Simco, "the cottage" is owned by the aunt and uncle of the MD of my current show and was a perfect destination for a little get away for the members of our production company. Seven of us were able to make the trip, and a great time was had by all. Our MD proved to be a wonderful host, and an incredible chef, making all of our meals from scratch.
I was the first to brave the waters of Lake Simco, swimming right off the dock. I was actually pleasantly surprised at the temperature, considering that is was mid September. At one point two locals actually canoed past by me, as I stood chest deep in the frigid water and looked at me like I was nuckin' futs.
Watching theatre folk be sportific is always entertaining, and the impromptu volleyball game we had was no exception. We spent more time chasing the ball through the hedgerow into the neighbours yard than actually playing volleyball.
Yours truely hit the booze a little hard on day 2, I may have started with a cold beer at 8am, and graduated to a gin ceasar by 11am, and double fisting beergaritas by 1pm. Long story short I put myself to bed by 6pm, where I stayed until 7am on day 3. Lesson learned...when pacing oneself on an all day bender it is important to take breaks for food, and the occasional glass of water.
Despite my inherent stupidity, I had a great time bonding with my cast, and it was a much needed release from the stress and pressure of a very busy summer season.

Cards Against Humanity Hiaku's

Penis Envy
Praying The Gay Away
Frolicking.

God
Laying an Egg
The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

The KKK
Ethnic Cleansing
Puppies

William Shatter
Bill Nye the Science Guy
Vigilante Justice

New Age Music
Hot Pockets
Woman's Suffrage

Sentinels - This Should Be Good!

If you stuck around after the credits at the new Wolverine movie, this will be old news to you, but this photo, tweeted by Bryan Singer the director of the upcoming movie X-Men: Days of Future Past, confirms that Trask Industries will feature prominently in the plot of the new film. For those of you who haven't read the comic books, the CEO of Trask Industries: Bolivar Trask is the creator of the Sentinels. Giant mutant hunting robots that pack an incredible arsenal of weaponry, and have the ability to adapt and neutralize most mutant powers, various incarnations of the sentinels have been a staple villain in the comic books for years. With any luck, the film, which features some returning members of both casts of X-Men: First Class, and the original X-Men trilogy, will stay fairly true to the Days of Future Past, comic book plot line. Which I will keep to myself, so as to not spoil anything.
Here's a gratuitous photo of Hugh Jackman on set because Wolverine is my favourite. X-Men: Days of Future Past is scheduled for release May 23rd, 2014. It will be worth the wait!

The Last of Us - Game Review

There is no doubt in my mind that Naughty Dog has once again guaranteed itself another game of the year title with their latest release. The Last of Us, which I completed for the first time last night, is unquestionably the best game to hit the PlayStation 3 since Uncharted 3.
A stealth survival game set amidst a zombie apocalypse, The Last of Us, follows Joel, a middle-aged, hardened smuggler and Ellie, his foul mouthed young ward, on a year long journey across the remains of the desolated United States. Visually, the game is stunning. The art designers, and visual artists of Naughty Dog have really outdone themselves on this game. Gameplay takes you through a variety of settings ranging from squalid inner city urban, reclaimed residential, and pristine wilderness. Each stage literally looks better than the last.  Here are a couple of screen shots I was able to find online.

The controls are intuitive and easy to pick up, especially if you have played the Uncharted series. I was also a big fan of the inventory system, and the fact that you have to collect various components before crafting the items that you need to survive. What I wasn't a huge fan of was the fact there was a finite limit on how much of each type of item you can you carry at any one time. Even though you are carrying a backpack, you can only carry 3 of each type of standard component item, and 3 of each crafted item as well. While this certainly adds to the "survival" aspect of the game, sometimes it was really frustrating to see items available to be picked up, but not have the room for it in my inventory.   This applies double to the limited amount of ammo you can carry at any one time.  In a zombie apocalypse you better believe that I would be carrying extra shells in my socks if that's what was necessary. However, for the purpose of a survival game, I do understand that managing limited resources challenges players to find alternate solutions for each encounter.
The story is also very multi-dimensional, and well crafted.  Nothing is ever quite as it seems, and all of the characters have multiple motivations for behaving the way they do. Initially Joel doesn't want to be saddled with the burden of transporting Ellie, but eventually they form a very strong bond, which enhances the story significantly.
I have already published a post that deals with the specifics of the unique zombie outbreak that Naughty Dog has crafted, which you can find here: http://wwwwd.blogspot.ca/2013/06/the-last-of-us.html
My first play through took exactly 17:25:45, on Normal difficulty, and I only managed to track down about 2/3rds of the collectable items, so there is lots of re-playability, especially of you aim to try and platinum this title. I really can't say enough good things about this game, as it is so impressive on every level. Pick up a copy for yourself, and loose yourself in this immersive world. One play through won't be enough, I guarantee it!