Movie Review – Tremors 6: A Cold Day in Hell

Tremors.  A flick about big monster worms that come out from under the ground and eat people.

That’s what most people think of when you mention a Tremors movie.  What most people don’t know is that it isn’t just the one movie – there have been 4 sequels, a prequel and even a season-long TV series! 

Tremors is actually one of the few Sci-Fi series that never seems to contradict itself.  There is a coherency throughout all its iterations, ranging from the evolution of the Graboids (the big underground man-eating worms) to the the individual human story arcs, even the very minor characters.  Plus the movies are just damn fun!

A ‘chick flick’ this is not

For my money Tremors 1 & 2 were by far the best of the flicks, and incidentally the only movies to get cinema release.  The next three were all straight-to-DVD releases and whilst good (especially Number 4 which was the prequel) none quite captured the fun of the first two.  Today we will be looking at the latest instalment in the Tremors franchise Tremors 6: A Cold Day in Hell.

 

The story starts off, as you can imagine, with a Graboid attack!  What makes this attack unique among all those featured in previous films is that it takes place in the snow, specifically a glacial area in Canada.  And when Graboids attack, who do you call for?  Burt Gummer – that’s who!

Have gun – will reluctantly travel

Burt Gummer (played by Michael Gross) is by far the star of the Tremors series, the only character to have appeared in all six films (though it was his ancestor in the prequel) as well as the TV series.  Burt is a jaded survivalist gun nut who likes living in Perfection Nevada because of its very low human population (and those that do live there often get eaten anyway) and its remoteness making it hard for the Government to interfere with him.

By the 6th movie, Burt is the only resident left in Perfection and is living in the run down remains of the town store.  However a visit from firstly a taxman saying Burt is about to lose what little he has, then one of the Canadian researchers along with Burt’s illegitimate son Travis (introduced in Tremors 5) prompts Mr Gummer back into action.

And from here the plot is really like all other Tremors films.  There are Graboids to deal with along with the occasional Ass-Blaster (another stage of the Graboid life-cycle first introduced in Tremors 3).  The Ass-Blasters retain their upgraded CGI look from T5 as do the Graboids – personally I thought both looked better before the reimagining, especially the Ass-Blasters which had previously resembled avian versions of Shriekers (another Graboid life-phase).  I would have liked to see some Shriekers included since its been a while since they were trotted out.  Gone is the concept of the Graboids three serpent-like tongues being detachable (T5) which personally I found to be out of line with established Graboid evolution (yes, I AM that much of a fan), however the tongues have retained their new power of sight (also introduced in T5) – you see one sneaking through a window to grab a lady and others dodging machete blows from Travis.

Ass-Blaster or Galgamex vagina?

There are minor plot lines contained within.  For instance Burt is slowly dying of a parasite he got from being eaten alive by a Graboid (T3) and needs liquid from a live Graboid in order to be healed.  There are DARPA agents that intend to bio-engineer Graboids into weapons and so on.  One of the key researchers, Valerie McKee, turns out to be the daughter of the two main characters from the very first movie.  But all of this is background noise to what is essentially another movie along the lines of a ‘Don’t move!  They sense vibration through the ground!’ mentality of your standard human versus Graboid movie we all expect.

Michael Gross and a bunch of actors you probably wont see in the 7th flick

Is this movie worth a watch?  Well if you are a fan of the series then of course!  Michael Gross does a stellar job as Burt Gummer yet again and there are monsters galore to shoot or be devoured by.  However if you are looking for something new here that you haven’t seen before from the franchise you will be disappointed.  Besides at the beginning of the film there are not even any action sequences in the snow, the remainder of the storyline takes place in a dry ‘hot spot’ which exists within the otherwise snowy landscape.

In short this film adds to the storyline of the human characters involved in Perfection but there is nothing new monster-wise and it lacks the fun and character of the first two movies.  However for those loyal followers of the series, it is at least another 90-minutes of Gummer fun.

 

Now take two teaspoons of cement and harden the hell up!

Got anything to say about this movie?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

Ask Trev – Chickens: the balance between pet and livestock

Dear Big Trev,

No vets in Melbourne know anything about hens. Except for one who is two hours away and deals with prize winning pedigrees and expects you will want to spend lots of money doing anything you can to save a crook chook.

The online forums offer some basic advice but it’s so difficult to know what’s wrong with a sad hen.

There seems to be a fairly common theme of ‘cull her’ amongst the more rural hen keepers.

I don’t want to spend a mint taking a vet to the other side of the city for the best bird care in Melbourne but I’m not a ‘better just let her slowly die while I stand about not caring’ kind of chook owner.

So my question is : how do I find the happy medium between livestock and pets when it comes to my backyard hens?

Thanks, Maddy.

 

Well Maddy first off let me say how sorry I am to hear that you’ve been having trouble with the health of your dear Chookies.  I know the extent you go to provide them with excellent shelters, fresh food and medicine so I can confidently say it’s certainly not a lack of effort and caring on your part that this seems to be happening.

A great little pen for a suburban backyard

As you’ve pointed out, in big cities vets hardly work with poultry so don’t know how to deal with them.  Whilst a growing number of people keep a few hens in their backyard, in capital cities it’s primarily cats and dogs the vets deal with and that’s what they train in.  In the country vets tend to know a bit more about chickens, but as you also point out, there tends to be a ‘cull them’ mentality.  Chickens in the country are not birds people generally make emotional attachments to, and given they are not very expensive to replace most farmers will simply kill a crook chook and get rid of it before it has a chance to infect any other of the flock.

So if country vets are out and city vets are out, what does that leave us with?  The specialist vets like the one you have mentioned which is a two-hour drive away.  And indeed yes they deal with the ‘speciality breeds’ that people have mainly for shows.  I was amazed when attending a poultry auction in Bathurst a few months ago how much 3 small Silkies went for – more than I think I’ve spent on my entire flock combined!  In these cases vets feel free to charge a mint as there is a significant financial loss to the owner if they lose a bird.  What help is this to the backyard chook enthusiast? None.

Online forums can be tricky.  I mean, how do you know if the person who wrote what you are reading has any real idea what they are talking about?  Most loonies and know-it-alls end up on the net these days and will happily preach about that which they know little.

 

So back to your main question: how do I find the happy medium between livestock and pets when it comes to my backyard hens?

Ya can’t help but get at least a bit attached to such lovely creatures

It’s really finding the balance that works well for you.  You obviously have great affection for your chookies but not the same kind of love you would have for say a cat or dog.  I relate completely.  And anyone who thinks people don’t get attached to birds at all should have seen how upset my 5-year old son was when a wedge-tailed eagle nearly killed our Frizzle Rooster, poor little bloke was in tears and insisted on sitting with me in the pen while I tended to the rooster and, thankfully, was able to fix it up.  But if we had lost the Rooster, it would not be the same as losing our beloved Burmese Cat or Shetland Sheepdog.

If I may make a recommendation, I would stick with the most common and generic breeds of chicken.  They are usually not expensive, and it also means there is a wealth of information out there regarding any issues that may arise with them.  Also look for hardy breeds, in a big city like Melbourne chickens have to deal with a lot more noise and air pollution than they do in a rural setting and can be subject to greater amounts of stress than they would pecking around on a farm. Don’t go for the biggest chooks, they wont do well in a small yard.  Don’t go for the most prolific layers unless you want to treat them completely as livestock, as they tend to have shorter lifespans.  Don’t go for the fancy breeds unless you want to treat them completely as pets, they tend to be fragile and require a high level of maintenance.  For a happy medium between pet and livestock – common and hardy – that’s the ticket!  This will also stop you suffering too much of a financial loss if a chicken is lost.

By getting breeds that fit these two categories, it will mean you can have a few lovely chookies in your yard that shouldn’t get too sick too often, and you should be able to find information on them fairly easily.  Perhaps invest in a book or two about whatever breeds you select.  If sickness occurs you can always try ringing around various vets – you may at least be able to get some advice and some vets will actually give you a syringe of whatever elixir is needed to take home to treat your poultry yourself.  If no vets are helpful and you need to turn to the net, be selective about what sites you visit and see if several different reputable sites will have a consensus about what might be wrong.  Avoid the chat forums – that’s where all the self-professed experts (i.e. nutters) reside.

 

And sadly, to live in that happy medium between livestock and pets one has to realize that sometimes you will lose a bird no matter what you do.  We’ve lost chickens to heatwaves and hawks, and likewise lost ducks to travel-stress and foxes.  It’s always sad but it’s an inevitable fact of poultry ownership – sometimes the feathery buggers check out no matter what you do.  Between the dangers I just listed your chooks also have to deal with dogs, cats, eagles, lice, mites, fleas, ticks, intestinal worms, diseases and sometimes even each other.  Sometimes I wonder how they survive at all!

 

I hope this advice is of some help to you Maddy, and I hope your dear chookies get well soon.

 

Got any other advice for Maddy?  Pop it in the comments section below.

 

Related Articles:

Permaculture – Treating Mite Infestations in Chickens

Ask Trev: How to deal with molting chickens?

Ask Trev: Chicken Care Questions

 

Toy Review – POTP Punch/Counterpunch

The original G1 Punch/Counterpunch was a very cool toy with a very cool concept!  Whereas all Triple-Changers in the past had two vehicle modes this toy had two robot modes.  He was an Autobot that could not only turn into a Pontiac Fiero , but also transform into a Decepticon in order to act as a spy!  Despite his abysmal appearance in Season 4 of the cartoon, the toy was so cool that it proved extremely popular, and lead to Doubledealer expanding upon the concept the following year.

We have only had one new version of this character since then, the Timelines version that was released several years ago (I don’t count the subsequent Counterpunch based on a CW mold since he only had one robot mode).  While that toy was good, it was let down primarily by a small and weird looking head and of course a very limited release.  Fans have been awaiting a new toy that could do this unique character justice.

Well wait no more, for now we have the Amazon exclusive Power of the Primes Punch/Counterpunch.  Let’s take a look and see if it was worth the wait.

Not available in stores

Vehicle Mode

Sexy… as long as my doors don’t pop off

One of the appeals of Punch is he was one of the very few Transformers released in 1987 that had an Earth alt-mode (the others being the Throttlebots and new Decepticon Cassettes) when the line was moving heavily into Cybertronian and/or Creature modes.  The vehicle mode has been faithfully redone here, down to the red hubcaps.

The arms/shoulder come misassembled which means that the arms don’t tab properly when you are folding the doors over to make his car mode.  This is apparently easily repaired though I haven’t gotten around to it yet, I’ve found with sufficient (yet carefully applied) force that you can tab the doors properly, though they come back loose with the slightest knock.  When I get around to making the repair I will post the method here, much like I did with the problem regarding Trypticons hip.

 

Punch Mode

I’m a heroic Autobot – check out my orange chest!

Excellent colours, well proportioned, good articulation, an orange gun – what more could one ask for!  Well, perhaps some feet.  But he balances quite well all the same and really puts the Timelines version to shame.  You can fold down a tab on his back to hide the Decepticon symbol located there.

 

Counterpunch

I’m an evil Decepticon – check out my purple kneepads!

Like the original toy, you turn this figure around, adjust the set of the shoulders, flip the helmet and viola – instant Decepticon!  Like his Autobot version you can flip a tab on his back to hide the other factions symbol and he also lacks feet.  Additionally what he lacks is a blaster of his own.  In my opinion it helped differentiate the two robot modes with the original toy by each having its own gun.  Since Counterpunch looks weird holding Punch’s gun, I give him the otherwise useless combiner appendage (since this toy does NOT combine) as a sort of black shield.  Still on the whole he looks excellent, you can even flip the hands around so they are different colours!

Prima Prime

I am the leader of the Original 13 Primes! Check out the power contained in my tiny, tiny body!

You can turn him into a box and stick him in the shield – that’s all I can say about this figure, except perhaps he has some cool pipelighting from the back the other POTP Primes lack.  But I don’t like the concept as a whole and find them mostly useless little figures just waiting to get lost – give us some proper figures of the Original 13 more than just the likes of Alpha Trion and Megatronus.

 

So is this figure worth getting?

As long as you can afford the bigger (but not gigantic) price tag I’d say definitely yes, especially if you are a G1 fan!  3 great modes, a few accessories and a cool collectors box – he is good quality and a lot of fun!  Now we can simply hope this toy prompts the character appearance in the upcoming IDW reboot of the Transformers universe.

 

Got anything to say about this figure?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

Related Articles:

POTP Terrorcons – Wave 1

POTP Unicronus and Primal

POTP Dinobots

 

Video – My 100+ Generations Decepticons

For a bit of fun and a bit of comparison I pulled out of my storage crates a lot of my Decepticons.  In particular, toys that were updates of classic characters, mainly (but not exclusively) from G1.    I was amazed and how many characters have gotten new toys!

So enjoy this short video I made of the display.  Also below you will find some screenshots and a full list of the Decepticons on display along with links to reviews of many of the figures displayed here – have fun!

 

 

 

 

Acid Storm, Apeface, Astrotrain, Axor,

Banzaitron, Battletrap, Bonecrusher, Black Arachnia, Blast Off, Blitzwing, Bludgeon, Bombshell, Breakdown, Brawl, Bruticus, Buzzsaw,

Caliburst, Catgut, Chop Shop, Cyclonus,

Darkmount, Darkwing, Dead End, Devestator, Dirge, Doubledealer, Drag Strip, Dreadwind, Dreadwing,

Fangry, Frenzy, Full-Tilt, 

Galvatron, Gnaw, Grabuge

Hook, Hun-Grrr, 

Jhaixus,

Kickback, Krok,

Laserbeak, Leozack, Liokaiser, Long Haul,

Megatron, Menasor, Mindwipe, Misfire, Mixmaster, Motormaster,

Needlenose, Nightbird, Nightstick, Nemesis Striker,

Octone, Onslaught, Overkill, Overlord

Pounce

Quake

Ramjet, Rampage, Ratbat, Ravage, Rippersnapper, Rodimus Unicronus, Rumble, Runabout

Scavenger, Scourge, Scorponok, Scrapper, Shockwave, Singe, Sixshot, Shrute, Skrapnel, Skullgrin, Skullsmasher, Sky Byte, Sky Shadow, Skywarp, Slice, Slipstream, Slugslinger, Soundblaster, Soundwave, Spinister, Starscream, Submarauder, Sunbeam, Swindle

Tankorr, Thrust, Thundercracker, Thunderwing, Treadshot, Triggerhappy, Trypticon

Vortex

Waspinator, Wildrider, WingspanWindsweeper, Wolfwire,

Zputty

Movie Review – Teen Titans Go!

In the latest cartoon show to be translated to the big screen, we have been presented with Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.  The cartoon show had a very polarizing effect on fans of this particular team from the DC universe.  Some fans love the off-kilter zaniness, constant 80’s references and dashes of potty humour.  Other fans hated what they called a bastardization of a classic team, the childish antics and the low quality animation.  Personally I have been in the first group and found the show very funny to watch on Saturday mornings with my son – even if it has left him with a penchant to constantly ‘Do the Booty Scooty’.

This movie could be said to be DC’s response to Marvel’s Deadpool.  The Deadpool Movies have been immensely popular, made fun of the whole Super Hero Movie franchise, constantly broke the fourth wall and demonstrated that super heroes can be funny!  DC movies have been accused of being too dark, too overly dramatic and frankly not much fun.  This is what Teen Titans Go! attempts to rectify.

 

The plot of this movie is simple – every serious super hero is getting their own movie and the Teen Titans, particularly Robin, want one too so they and he can be considered real super heroes.  The problem is they are a bunch of goofballs that spend more time eating waffles and singing songs than actually fighting crime.

So off they go to get themselves an arch nemesis in order to be taken seriously and are provided with Slade, the main antagonist from the Teen Titans cartoon from the late 90’s.  They are summarily trounced by him, so decide they need to come up with another plan.

The pacing of the first half of the movie runs a bit too slow.  In fact nearing the half way point I was actually getting bored, which is saying a lot considering how much I love animated movies.  It lacked the banter that makes the cartoon show so much fun – instead of constantly arguing with each other and the team as a whole picking on Robin, they act as one unit and they always follow Robins lead without complaint.  Much like the My Little Pony Movie, they have removed one of the key elements that made the cartoon show as popular as it is.

 

Thankfully the second half picks up the pace.  The heroes time travel to get rid of all the other heroes so that they are the only ones to make a movie about, leading to some funny scenes where they alter other heroes origin stories.  When that fails they end up actually having a decent fight scene with Slade which leads to getting a movie.  Of course by now the audience starts to twig that the movie producer is actually Slade in disguise and uses this to break the Teen Titans up so that he can get back a crystal they stole and take over the world.

The final act of the movie is all the regular super heroes, now mind controlled, hunting the heroes and then the Teen Titans facing off against Slade in a giant robot.  Another good fight scene ensues and they naturally save the day, earning the respect of all the other heroes in the process.

 

This isn’t a bad movie on the whole, but it isn’t great.  As mentioned, it lacks a lot of the humour that the cartoon show does.  There are a few funny bits, such as the Titans all using a prop toilet that doesn’t work, the references to the Back to the Future movies and Robins final line of the film.  The movie even references Deadpool from which it draws inspiration – they mix up Slade with Deadpool, talk to the camera, lampoon the whole super hero genre and have cross-universe gags such as Stan Lee making a cameo even though it is a DC movie.  However much of the humour falls flat and lacks that certain spark, the Batman LEGO Movie delivered far more chuckles.  Besides Robin there is zero character development with the other Titans and Slade is an OK villain at best.

If your kid is a massive Teen Titans fan such as mine is, it’s worth taking them to see it on the big screen in the short time it will still be in the cinemas.  However if you and/or your kids simply like the show and not love it, you can wait for the movie to come to DVD before watching.

 

Got something to say about this movie?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

Related Articles:

Movie Review – Deadpool 2

Movie Review – My Little Pony

Movie Review – The LEGO Batman Movie

 

 

Game App Review – Transformers Bumblebee Overdrive

There have been a ton of Transformer gaming apps in recent years on both Android and iPhone; a few have retired and several are still chugging along.  In anticipation of the new Bumblebee Movie coming out later this year, we have a new game (currently only available through Apple) based on everyone’s favorite little yellow bot in Transformers Bumblebee Overdrive.

Pretty much every app has been based on either the Movieverse or Generation 1.  This is most definitely G1 with a bit of Generations thrown in.  And like G1, this game is 80’s arcade all the way baby!

You start the game as Bumblebee and work your way through 4 main stages over and over, gathering crystals and coins in order to unlock new characters.  Once you reach a certain points level, you then take on a boss character, the defeat of which will unlock new weapons and bonuses within game.

Lets fight!

The four main stages consist of Highway, Canyon, another Canyon and Decepticon bases.

Highway

Like the run to Brisbane Airport

Lots of innofensive traffic which you need to dodge, the only real enemy you encounter and flying Decepticon Drones that fire off missiles, one hit of which can kill.  It is during these highway drives that you can try to earn bonuses from completing events, such as destroying a certain amount of Phone Booths or Fire Hydrants.

 

Canyon – style 1.

Who takes a sports car that expensive offroading?

Lots of swerving required here.  Surprise spike pits pop up, silver mines are laid about, more flying Missile Drones and as you progress Laser Cannons.  Ironically the main thing you need to avoid are rock columns, crashing into one kills you instantly.

 

Canyon – style 2.

Air Time!

Nothing to crash into here, but you are being pursued!  Here we get some G1 goodness with you being chased by Stunticons  Dead End & Breakdown as well as other G1 Cons Ruckus and Ground Hog.  There is also the Stunticon Offroad from Combiner Wars and Slice(r) from Timelines thrown in.  Taking out these other cars is probably the easiest of the levels, though as it gets harder sometimes you find ones parked in your way as you fight the others.

Subtle hints are provided

 

Decepticon Bases

Here is the only part of the game where you get to fight as robot mode and a plethora of different dangers get in your way.  Laser Canons in different configurations, barriers both physical and electric and purple flying Conheads who resemble the same ones found in Transformers: Devestation.  These levels are also the ones were you get to test out the different weapons you have unlocked by defeating bosses, in particular I like the laser beam you get for defeating Acid Storm.

The laser kicks ass!

 

Bosses

Nearly all G1 based (apart from Generations Battleslash) and they are a lot of fun!  You only get to fight these when you have reached a certain amount of points.  In the classic 80’s arcade style, these bosses throw different energy weapon patterns at you and as long as you avoid the obvious patterns the bosses are easy to defeat.  Quite an enjoyable part of the game, it’s a shame that they come along so rarely.

And you only get to fight them once

 

Character Unlocks

You start as Bumblebee and, much like any toy isle you go down, the easiest other character to get is another version of Bumblebee, this one resembling in part his look from TF: AOE.  The other characters to get at this stage are Sideswipe, Arcee and Optimus Optimus requiring a whopping 500 crystals!  When you obtain a character you use your coins to increase their armor and firepower, then use crystals to ungrade them to the next level to start all over again.  I just got Arcee this morning and she is quite fun in robot mode since she has two guns, which means double the firepower when you use the upgrades like lasers and homing missiles.

‘Freedom is the right of all sentient beings – as long as they pay through the nose with crystally goodness’

 

In-Game Purchases

Guess the game companies need to make their money somehow

What app doesn’t have these.  Personally I’d never buy even the cheap ones but maybe there is someone out there willing to spend over a hundred bucks on the big pack.

Yeah, good luck selling these!

 

Is the game worth playing?

In short doses yes.  It’s lots of fun!  In big doses no.  Your finger gets tired after a while and to be honest when I was most of the way to the points total for Battleslash I was hoping I would crash as I had had my fill.  Also despite the minor variations you get each run through, having only 4 stages to work through over and over again gets understandingly repetitive.

Will I still be playing this game in a months time?

I doubt it.  I’ll unlocked Arcee a few hours ago but no way could I be bothered saving enough crystals for Optimus.  Also as mentioned before, the amount of points you need to gain increases exponentially to reach bosses.  The first three (Tracer, Quake and Acid Storm) are not too onerous but then suddenly you find Battlelslash to be a whopping 256,000 points and that takes forever to reach.

So should you download it?

If you are a TF fan sure, why not!  It’s a bit of cheesy 80’s arcade fun but it really doesn’t have anything to keep you there for the long haul.

 

Got something to say about this App?  Put it in the comments section below!