First off, I know that I'm really late with this. But I figure that as long as I do this before the Oscars air, I'm not too far behind. Well, this is basically my Academy Awards, except withI'm not going to reveal my winner for Best Picture on this blog. I'm saving that for my Top 10 Best MoviesOf 2010 video, because there were so many movies that came out this past year that I loved, I figured that I shouldbe able to talk about each of them. Also because I really want to do a video :P. So without further ado, THE 2010 BLAZE AWARDS FOR FILM!

Best Visual Effects

Runner-Up:

Inception

Winner:

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Scott Pilgrim was a really entertaining movie, and there's really only two sources of that. First being the random, quirky humor, the second being the visuals.They weren't as realistic asInception, but they were supposed to be cartoonish and retro, while still being modern eye candy. My favorite visuals were during the Battle of the Bands scenes against the Katayanagi twins, it's just amazing.

Best Cinematography

Runner-Up:

Chris Corbould (Inception)

Winner:

Roger Deakins (True Grit)

There's no denying that True Grit was one of the most visually appealing films of the last ten years. The Coen Brothers veteran cinematographer Roger Deakins did a fantastic job with making True Grit's comedic moments even more enjoyable through the brightened atmosphere of the sunlight valleys and the intense scenes even more suspenseful under the dim night sky. There wasn't one millisecond of this movie that didn't have my eyes glued to the screen from the shear awe of it's cinematography.

Best Original Score

Runner-Up:

Hans Zimmer (Inception)

Winner:

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (The Social Network)

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross outdid themselves with the ominous glow of The Social Network's music. The shrill noise and simple piano lick of the film's theme "Hand Covers Bruise" is absolutely stunning, and is without a doubt one of my favorite movie themes of all time. The Social Network is an outstanding movie as it is and if it's musical score is just the icing on the cake, then I can't think of any better kind of icing.

Best Script Writing

Runner-Up:

Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3)

Winner:

Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)

Best quote of 2010: "We can do that ourselves. I'm 6'5', 220, and there's two of me." Any movie with that line deserves the title of best script writing.

Best Supporting Actress

Runner-Up:

Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

Winner:

Marion Cotillard (Inception)

This is the only winner you'll see on here that didn't get an Oscar nomination. Marion Cotillard is one of my favorite actresses right now, and this is hands down her best performance. She was absolutely terrifying in this movie, and at the same time you feel really sympathetic for her character, and when an actress can do both of those things, it's a big achievement.

Best Supporting Actor

Runner-Up:

Christian Bale (The Fighter)

Winner:

Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

This is probably the toughest category this year. There are lots of actors who in other years would've won for me. But in the end, there can only be one winner, and for me, it's Geoffrey Rush. He's just so much fun to watch in this movie. He's the voice of reason but also the most surreal part of it. So even though there are plenty of deserving candidates, the Austrailian speech tutor gets the win.

Best Actress

Runner-Up:

Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

Winner:

Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

Now, I'm kind of cheating with this category because I didn't see Black Swan. The only reason why I picked Natalie Portman as the runner-up is because I think she's going to win the Oscar for Best Actress. I didn't see any of the movies with Best Actress nominees this year. But I did see True Grit, and I think that it's a crime that Hailee Steinfeld isn't nominated for Best Actress. How can the academy consider her part a supporting role? There literally isn't a period of two minutes where she isn't on camera, it's entirely her movie! And she's fantastic in it! Oh well, the academy's wrong, and I'm right. Simple as that :P.

Best Actor

Runner-Up:

Jeff Bridges (True Grit)

Winner:

Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

It must be really hard to have to deliver a performance as an English king with a stammer. Well, it clearly wasn't that hard for Colin Firth, because he's absolutely amazing in this movie. You really feel like the character grows throughout the movie as his speech begins improving, and that's mainly through Firth's performance. He does a great job of coming across as an agrivated and shy man at the beginning and throughout the movie you see all of the different sides of him, and all are executed very well. If you add all of those things up, you've got a pretty good shot at giving the best acting performance of the year.

Best Director

Runner-Up:

David Fincher (The Social Network)

Winner:

Christopher Nolan (Inception)

Christopher Nolan is one of the few living directors whom I would call a genius. Sure, the ideabehind Inception has kind of been used before with movies like The Matrix and Dark City, but they way the Nolanexplains the concept and tells the story of Inception is just masterful. I honestly can't think of any one more deservingof this from the past decade.

And that's it for this year's Blaze MovieAwards! Hopefully the videoranking my favorite movies of the year will be up soon, but until then...

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Song of the Day:
Arcade Fire - My Body Is A Cage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhhZdune_5Q

Picture of the Day:

Hello all, I would just like to start off this entry with a couple of updates. First of all, I have a new avatar! For those of you who don't watch Saturday Night Live or mainly the older SNL episodes, my new avy is of Chris Farley as the "motivational speaker" Matt Foley. It's hands down my favorite SNL sketch of all time and I watch it over and over again practically every day. Also, for my fellow PSN gamers, in a few weeks, you won't be seeing me online very much, for I will finally have...

Yes siree! My long wait for Mass Effect 2 will be over by the end of February, I CAN'T WAIT! And because of this, those of you whom I've played Little Big Planet 2 and Black Ops with will have to find someone else to pwn for a while :P. Which brings me to my next topic...

I HAVE HAD IT! I've gotten so sick of Black Ops' online multiplayer! I still like the single player campaign and the zombies can still be fun, but now, there is nothing enjoyable about the online mode anymore. And there's lots of reasons for that. First, no one is out for anyone but themselves. There's no element of teamwork to this game anymore, and there was barely any to begin with! Second, EVERYONE CHEATS! Not a single person plays fair anymore, it's just nothing but grenade launchers and campers now. Third, there are better multiplayer games out there now like Little Big Planet 2. If you've got a PS3, don't waste your time with Black Ops, get Little Big Planet 2 and experience what online multiplayer is supposed to be like. And thefourth reason is just personal for me, but it's started to get kind of boring. It justseems like nothing really changes anymore andthere isn't any variety left in it. I know that @dylan417 went through this a while back, andnow I can really understand why. I'm at my wits end with the multiplayer, but I still get a lot of enjoyment from the campaign and zombies.

And now to close this one off, I'm going to end a feud thathas plagued the gaming world fora few years now. I'm finally going to stop this war withonly four bullets. These are four good reasons as to why I think the PlayStation 3 is superior to the Xbox 360.

REASON #1:

RELIABILITY

Now I've owned both an Xbox 360 and a PlayStation 3. And both have had their benefits. I had my Xbox for about a year until I gave up on it and now I've had my PS3 for a little over half a year, and the PS3 hasn't shown any signs of malfunctioning, whereas the Xbox was occasionally freezing after one month. And after a few months itgot even worse when the 360 started heating up. I swear, I could've fried an eggon that thing. I personally never got the "Red Ring of Death" but I have friends who have and the PS3 has novariation of the Red Ring whatsoever. I think that it's a fact that when thousands of Xbox's around the globehave the same deadly malfunction, and the PS3 doesn't have any kind of widespread problem, that shows that in terms of reliability andstrength, Sony has got Microsoft beat by lightyears.

REASON #2:

FREE ONLINE

Now I'm going to be honest, while PlayStation Network is free, Xbox Live is an overall better online service. It's stronger and it has more people registered. BUT PSN IS STILL FREE! Just because Xbox Live is a better server doesn't mean that PSN is bad for online, the online community for PlayStation is still enormous and in many ways it's just as good as Live, it really isn't any different besides the fact that Live has stronger connections. But honestly, what would you prefer, an overall better connection and a bigger community that costs around 25 to 50 dollars, or a slightly less reliable and somewhat smaller online experience, but you don't have to pay a cent for it?

REASON #3:

EXCLUSIVES

Now, this one is just a shoe-in. Xbox's exclusives are Halo, Fable, Alan Wake, Mass Effect 1, Gears of War, and Left 4 Dead. Which is a pretty good list of games to be honest. Now let's look at PlayStation's haul. Uncharted, God of War, Metal Gear Solid, Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, Little Big Planet, Infamous, Demon's Souls, Heavy Rain, Killzone 2, Twisted Metal, MAG, and Resistance. That sounds just a little bit lopsided to me. But that's just me, and for people who are more into adventure games such as myself, there really isn't any contest between the two, it's PS3 all the way.

REASON #4:

BLU-RAY

Being a massive movie buff, this is what really seals the deal for me. And it should for anyone who's going to use their system for watching movies and TV shows as well as gaming. Blu-Ray is absolutely stunning, and it's something that no one should miss out on. And what really makes this a great addition to the PS3 is that it enhances all of the games' graphics into Blu-Ray quality and because it comes installed into the PS3, you're getting two of the best entertainment devices on the market for the price of one. Blu-Ray has completely changed the way that movies are watched, and if you're trying to decide what system to get, this is the best kind of icing on the cake.

And those are my four reasons as to why I think the PlayStation 3 is superior to the Xbox 360, and remember, this is entirely my opinion, if you think that Xbox is better, I respect your opinion and I encourage you to write about why you think that the 360 is better. Heck, you might even think that the Wii is the best system right now, it's entirely your choice!

Until next time,
Blaze

..................................................................................................

Song of the Day:
Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThbJtOAkHy4

Picture of the Day:

I love watching trailers for movies and games. These days, the trailer is about the most important thing when it comes to advertisementin both medias. But seeing as this is GameSpot, I've decided to conduct my list of the Top 10BestGame TrailersOf All Time, and this doesn't really include what I think of the game, thislist is specifically judged on the trailers, not the game's themselves.

#10:

Batman: Arkham Asylum- Villains Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02utCE9AQB4

As all of you should know, Batman: Arkham Asylum is without a doubt one of the best games ever. It's one of the only two games on GameSpot that's actually gotten a perfect score from me. And this trailer was definitely one of the things that made me want to play it the most. It's really eerie and creepy while also being pretty in your face and intense, which is pretty much exactly like the game itself. The first part of it with the files of the villains popping up is really intimidating, and the end of the trailer with Killer Croc is enough to make any grown man wet themselves, what more could you ask for from a game trailer that's set in an insane asylum?

#9:

Assassin's Creed 2 - Launch Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R20-MOOZPpY

The great thing about this trailer is that it's able to completely suck you in through only two things; the atmosphere and the devastatingmoves that Ezio displays. A lot of trailers have a tendency to be like commercials for restaurants, where the food looks way better than it really does. A lot of trailers look better than the actual games do, but Assassin's Creed 2 is one of the few cases in which themasterful visuals of the trailer match those in the game.It also has a lot of honesty to it, it's not trying to cut any corners by giving you false hopes, it really sums up the entire game in less than two minutes and yet it still leaves you wanting desperately to play it.

#8:

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHHcM6aHPnE

Okay, let's just cut to the chase shall we? Uncharted 3 is going to be an absolute masterpiece and everyone with at least two brain cells in their mind will understand it's genius. And at the moment the only real proof of how incredible this game looks is the gameplay footage from Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and this trailer. And the trailer alone is enough to makeanyone want to dig endlessly around theirhouse for sixty bucks and floor itto the nearest GameStop to pre-order it. The visuals are outstanding, the passage read by Nathan Drake is captivating, and the little gameplay footage at the end looks the same as the last two games, but hey...that's not at all a bad thing.

#7:

Battlefield: Bad Company - Release Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaHcMxfJlhY

Everyone's seen this trailer a million times. Not specifically this one, but this kind of trailer.You've got your typical deep bada$$ voice introducing you to an elite military force, and then he says "these aren't the guysI was just talking about" and we fall into acyclone of explosions of jokes.Let's face it, we see this trailer a couple of times every year at movie theaters. But that's what makes this trailer so great, no one ever takes this approach towards a video game trailer. And unlike a lot of the jokes used in the movie trailers, the ones here are actually pretty funny, because if you've played the game, you know how intense it can be.I still consider this to be one of the most underrated games ever made and if you're not interested in getting it after you watch this trailer, then I don't knowwhat your deal is :P.

#6:

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - E3 Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUPAyGWKd6c

Yeah, once again Nathan Drake pops up on the list, surprise, surprise. But how could this trailer not be on here? It's just SO insanely awesome! And just like with the Bad Company trailer, you see this kind of thing all the time in movie trailers, but it's never done with this much swagger and smoothness while still keeping you on the edge of your seat. And I'm convinced that the name of this video should be"Nathan Drake Is Awesome Trailer" because not even the game itself makes Nathan Drake look so cool! It's probably just the way that the one-liners are edited together, but his awesomeness is multiplied by ten here. And I thought that was impossible!

#5:

Modern Warfare 2 - Reveal Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWIJTydRLt8

For those of you who think that Modern Warfare 2's story was lazy and just an excuse for weapons on multiplayer, take a look at this and tell me that it doesn't make you want to know what this is all about. This trailer is packed with the best action from the game and is narrated by friggin' Makarov, who's slinky Russian brood is enough to make Captain Price tremble... well not really but you know what I'm talking about :P. And this trailer really shows you that whilethe multiplayer iswhat made Modern Warfare 2 the blockbuster that it was, it really did have an intense and gripping campaign, which really is the centerpiece to any great video game.

#4:

Duke Nukem Forever - Debut Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVuuyRGB_BA&feature=fvsr

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm not a massive fan of The King. I've just never really gotten into the over-the-top antics of the game world's gum chewing messiah. But... Duke Nukem Forever looks too awesome to ignore. And the reason why I say that, is entirely because of this trailer. It's just SO ridiculous on every level, but that's what makes it great. All of the one-liners and jokes work, and really feels like we're going to be getting a legitimate Duke Nukem game here.

#3:

Red Dead Redemption - Launch Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gBctl1h_2o

Gee, bet none of you saw this coming :P. Yeah, well the launch trailer for Red Dead Redemption was stunning, and had they not put the rating information before the video, then I would have no idea that this was a game because lets face it... this could very easily be a movie trailer! The great voice acting, wild music, and every other little thing about this trailer is pitch perfect. I would keep raving about it, but seeing as this game has been on every single one of my video game related countdowns, I think that I've said just about everything that I can.

#2:

Little Big Planet 2 - Debut Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy_a3oCDzRA

This might be my favorite thing in the world right now. Little Big Planet 2 is just such an awesome game and it comes with one of the best trailers in the history of mankind. With it'sbeautiful footage, great visuals, and promises about the ever growing world of Little Big Planet, this trailer does nothing wrong at all. And to top it all off, Sleepyhead by Passion Pit as the background music, which is such a great song, and it fits in perfectly with the atmosphere of both the trailer and Little Big Planet 2 itself.

#1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYZpR51XgW0

FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF!

........................................................................................................

Song of the Day:
Mumford & Sons - The Cave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4UwnYyUrKA

Picture of the Day:

Hello hello hello. I just finished playing some Black Ops with @ShootumUP26 a little while ago, and while he wasn't there to witness the moment, something huge finally happened to me...

I PRESTIGED AT LAST!

After two months of Black Ops, I finally reached 1st Prestige, and I'm actually looking forward to rebuilding myself again online. I thought I was going to do terribly in my first match after prestiging and I actually didn't do that bad.

Well, that's just a small little update, now to get the moderately important stuff.

Well for all eight of you who read my last blog (that's right I said 8!) you know that I'm currently in a bit of a tight spot. I've got two big games that come out this coming Tuesday that I really want, but because of my financial situation, I can only get one for the time being. The two games are Little Big Planet 2 and Mass Effect 2 which is just now being released on PS3. Wel after a lot of thinking over the last two days, I've finally come to a conclusion...

Yes, I've decided to wait for Mass Effect 2 to drop in price and I'm going to pick up Little Big Planet 2 sometime in the next week. After watching some footage and reading reviews, I've decided that I just can't wait any longer to see Sackboy again. This game just looks so massive that I can't ignore it, and I really want those Jak & Daxter skins. But the best part about this game is gonna be doing co-op with ShootumUP26 whom I already mentioned earlier. So, as much as I want Mass Effect 2, Sheppard is going to have to wait a little while, cuz me and Sackboy have a lot of catching up to do.

And finally, I have a favor to ask of you guys. If it's too much trouble, then don't bother.

I'm in need of a new banner. The one that I have right now is decent, but it's not very sharp and I want a banner that's photoshopped so that all of the characters on it blend in perfectly to the background. (I'm know that mentioning him way too much) but ShootumUP26 has just about the best banner out there. I'm talking about something like that that uses some of the characters that are on my current banner. If you have any designs, please PM them to me. And I know that asking kind of a lot out of you guys, so if it's too much trouble, PLEASE don't do it.

Again, thanks and see you all next time on my TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2010 VIDEO!
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

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Song of the Day:
Cookie Monsta -Bliss (yes I'm a Dubhead too)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RLDrlqNRBY&NR=1

Picture of the Day:

Hello all, it's been a little while since I wrote a blog, and I figured that it was about time that I got back to the old grind. This is actually a new kind of blog for me because there's no Top 10, countdown, review, or impressions, I'm being selfish this time around and just focusing on my personal life. So to those of you who were looking for another one of my rants... I'm sorry, but you won't be finding it here.

However, for those of you who do enjoy my Top 10 lists, you hopefully won't have to wait verylong for my Top 10 Movies of 2010. But that won't be your typical blazingsaddle95 countdown. No, that my friends will be...

A VIDEO!

Yes, I intend to perform my Top 10 Best Films of 2010 via video, and I haven't really gotten an opportunity to make it yet, but when I do, I'll definitely be posting it here.

But enough of that, I've got some big gaming decisions to make, and I would love you guys to give your input on my options.

I really liked the first Little Big Planet game,even thoughI haven't played it as much I probably should've, I haven't even done the online mode yet :?. I still really enjoyed it, and the sequel looks just as good if not better. But is it really worth sixty bucks? For hardcore fans of the first game it definitely is, but seeing as I'm not that hardcore, I think I should probably wait until the price drops a little on this one. Also, I don't have PlayStation Movie yet, which probably adds a lot more to the game's experience. But what really makes me want this game, is the fact that there's a Jak & Daxter pack for this game, which sounds SO amazing. Also I've heard that it can be played in 3D even if you don't have a 3D TV. So this game has lots of things going for it, but also a couple of things going against getting it opening week for me.

Yeah, I actually kind of want this. The concept just sounds soamazing and my allegiance to Batman really makes me want this... wow, there wasn't one cool word in that sentence :P. Also after having watched dome ofGameSpot's Now Playing of this gameI really want it just that I can design a character, the customization looks so ludacrisly deep. But, what's holding me back from getting this... as much as I love Batman, I've always disliked the Justice League as well as the whole intergalactic idea of the DC Universe. I like Batman solo, in Gotham City, and fighting the interesting enemies that he's been given, not dealing with the fate of the universe in a spaceship stationed outside of Earth. So, do I go with just the pleasure of a deep MMORPG? Or do I ignore it for rubbing the idea of Batman in space in my face?

Now this is the big one. This is the one game that I have absolutely no doubts about or anything holding me back from getting... except my financial situation. I'm only 15 years old and I have a summer job, so it's around this time of the year when I'm always just scrounging up money. I found out yesterday that Mass Effect 2 will cost sixty dollars when it hits shelves on PS3 this coming Tuesday. I was expecting it to be the same price as the 360 and PC versions, not twenty dollars more! But I want to get it SO badly! I don't have sixty dollars at the moment after buying my Bluetooth headset for my PS3, so I'm just trying to get money however I can. If you would like to make a donation... please do so by Tuesday :P.

Now, for just a little summary about my current online "relationship" with Call of Duty: Black Ops. I really don't know what to think about this game at the moment. I love it, I really do, but I'm just SOOOOOO streaky when I'm playing online! I'll go five or six straight matches with a great KDR and I'll get promoted and I'll but new guns and everything will be perfect, and then everything just drops. I'll have a consistent KDR below 1.00 and nothing will go my way. It just gets SO frustrating sometimes. And whenever I enter those weak streaks, it takes me forever to get promoted, and I'm so close to finally prestiging! I'm gonna keep trying, but things just really aren't looking good right now for me online.

Well, that's about it, until next time...

......................................................................................

Song of the Day:
Around My Head - Cage the Elephant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKSpgmr3jEg

Picture of the Day:

First off, it's New Year's Eve, and I just wanted to wish everyone a...

Yes, tonight the ball drops in Times Square in fabulous NYC and we welcome 2011 which looks to be a promising in gaming and... well... that's about it. :P

And now that 2011 is coming to a close, I think that it's time that I revealed my Top 5 Best Albums of 2010, and Top 5 Best Songs of 2010. This was a pretty good year in music and while not the best in recent memory, it was still pretty good. So, let's not waste any time!

P.S. Yes I did steal this idea from @ShootumUP26 :P

Albums

#5:

High Violet by The National

The National are just a really cool band, which is strange because their singer makes no inflections and all of their songs sound the same and are all pretty monotone. And yet they're still an awesome band and High Violet is without a doubt they're best album. From the stampede of noise known as "Terrible Love" to the sooting and surreal ballad "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks", this album is a slow but strong album that I hope earns The National widespread recognition.
KeySongs:
Bloodbuzz Ohio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IprgVNlFIqM
Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a1UoljLWrY
Terrible Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqHdi_94SR4

#4:

Come Around Sundown by Kings of Leon

Big surprise huh? It's no secret that I'm a HUGE Kings of Leon fan, and their latest release didn't dissapoint me one bit. Is it their best album? No. Is it great though? Yes indeed. It's very reminiscent of their last album, the mega-hit "Only By The Night", only they branch out a little bit more, mainly with the surprising country number, "Back Down South" which is actually pretty good. What I really like is how the album is able to change tempo without throwing the listener off guard. It can go from quick and heavy to light hearted without throwing you off at all. What can I say besides 'great album by a great band'.
Key Songs:
No Money http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dquvPqWrGNo
Radioactive http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7jVK81FcjY
Pickup Truck http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51LozvKPDs8

#3:

The Suburbs by Arcade Fire

I'll admit that until this album was released, I wasn't at all a fan of Arcade Fire. I just didb't really get what the big deal was them. But after listening to this album, I'm now a big Arcade Fire fan, and now I completely understand their appeal. Their songwriting is incredible and really interesting, as well as their intrumentations. Also, Win Butler is without a doubt one of the best bandleaders out there, and when you add all of those things up, you've got the making of a great band, and one outstanding album.
Key Songs:
Month of May http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqBTL-HWPvA
Ready To Start http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvokOD-EnMw
The Suburbs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAitZuh4ueg

#2:

Brothers by The Black Keys

I'm such a huge fan of The Black Keys that I need to be on pills for it. They're just the funniest dudes who put on a kicka$$ show (I actually saw them with Kings of Leon), and a sound that literally defines the word "awesome". And Brothers is no exception to their reputation. This album delivers everything that a Black Keys fan could ever hope for, some wicked guitar playing and drumming, slick vocals from Dan Auerbach, some bluesy numbers but still a big variety of sounds. This is just an awesome album by one of my all-time favorite bands.
Key Songs:
Tighten Up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1H2_VTGtk0
Everlasting Light http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QzGvoUMBoA
Ten Cent Pistol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnR3I9xXd1U

#1:

The Big To-Do by Drive By Truckers

I bet the majority of you don't know this band. Drive By Truckers are a southern rock band from Georgia and they're pretty big in the southern and midwestern United States. I've been a lifelong fan of theirs for a while and their one of the only four musical acts that I've seen more than once (the others being Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Willie Nelson). The DBT's are about as close to country as my musical tastes get, but this album is way to hard rocking and awesome to be straight up country. It's just a massive tornado of electric guitars and beer soaked vocals throughout the entire album and I absolutely love ever second of it. This is hands down my favorite album of 2010.
Key Songs:
The Wig He Made Her Wear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5s2JxsL8TY
Working This Job http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVy5LGAi_MQ
Drag The Lake Charlie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tY99X56xn4

Songs

#5:

Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IprgVNlFIqM

#4:

Erase Me - Kid Cudi feat. Kanye West
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajaxQYNonyg

#3:

Committed - Jenny and Johnny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWYUr_8bx08

#2:

Tighten Up - The Black Keys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1H2_VTGtk0

#1:

Question - Nada Surf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlaTttTD4LU

Well folks, that's the last blog of 2010, I hope you all enjoyed my lists, and I'll see you in 2011!

:D

2010 was a great year for video games. We got something for everyone, shooters, platformers, action, open world, RPGs, driving, the works. And 2011 has some pretty big shoes to fill, and there are already ten games that I know I'll be getting. And well... here they are!

#10:

Duke Nukem Forever

To be fully honest, I'm not a huge Duke Nukem fan. I'm just not crazy about the way that the games are executed and in the past I've just found them to be somewhat offsetting. Duke Nukem Forever on the other hand... looks no different. From the little gameplay that I've seen, it looks like the only thing that's really been changed is the fact that we've got 3D graphics now. 3D graphics that look REALLY cool though! The only reason why I want to get Duke Nukem Forever is because the visuals look really fun and I think just slaying aliens will suffice for some mindless fun.

#9:

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Don't get me wrong, I'm really looking forward to this game, but the reason why I had to put it so low on the list is because we're still not sure if it's going to come outin 2011 or really early 2012. But if it does come out in 2011 (which it probably will) I'll be pre-ordering it for sure. The concept is just really cool and Ghost Recon in itself is always a blast. And I have a feeling that we'll get some pretty deep multiplayer out of this game :D :D :D

#8:

Metal Gear Solid: Rising

This just looks flat out awesome. My favorite part of Metal Gear Solid 4 were the cutscenes in which we got to see Raiden fight, and now we get to friggin' play as him! And the trailer was awesome as well, revealing that you can cut literally anything that you come across. How cool is that? Raiden is without a doubt one of the most bada$$ characters ever created, and now that we get to play as him, he'll even more bada$$. (Metal Gear Solid 2 doesn't count)

#7:

Lord of the Rings: War In The North

Yeah, this is when my TRUE geekdom shows. But to be honest, this game looks awesome. It's a massive multiplayer RPG in which you get to design practically every aspect of your own character and then set out to do battle in Middle Earth. That's about all I know for now, but being a Lord of the Rings fan, I know that I'll be getting this.

#6:

Mass Effect 2 & 3

I've always wanted to play Mass Effect, but around the time when I was finally considering to actually buy the first two games, my Xbox broke, and so now I'm a proud owner of the muchbetter PS3 (yeah I went there! :P). And so I have to wait until January to get Mass Effect 2, and thus that counts as a 2011 release, but I'm also really looking forward to Mass Effect 3, which is also going to be a PS3 game.The graphics actually look a lot better on the PS3 and I've really started to get intoRPG's eversince I picked up Fallout 3, so I really can't wait for Mass Effect 2 and 3.

#5:

L.A. Noire

Once again, Rockstar has come up with an ingenious idea that fits me perfectly. This time around we have an open world game set in Los Angeles during the 1930's and it's entirely based off of cla$$ic film noirs like The Maltese Falcon, The Third Man, and Le Samourai. That sounds awesome, and while I don't expect it to be quite as good as Red Dead Redemption, I still expect this to be another fantastic Rockstar experience.

#4:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Literally nothing regarding Modern Warfare 3 has been announced yet, but considering the normal Call of Duty trend, I assume that we'll be seeing Modern Warfare 3 on shelves next holiday season. That's about all I can say, except that if I know the franchise well... this is be gonna epic.

#3:

Little Big Planet 2

I love the first Little Big Planet game, and this one looks surprisingly better than the first, and that's because in this one... WE GET JAK & DAXTER OUTFITS! What could be more perfect than Sackboy and Jak & Daxter in the same place? Nothing! I'm definitely getting the collector's edition of this game. It comes with 3D glasses for the game as well as an actual Sackboy and lots of free DLC stuff including the Jak & Daxter stuff as well as Ratchet & Clank, Toy Story, Tron, and lots of others. I know that sounds kind of creepy that I want a Sackboy doll but it's the truth, it would be awesome to have one.

#2:

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Both of the previous Uncharted games have been fantastic, but this is shaping up to be the best yet. You've got improved graphics for starters (and I thought it was impossible to top Uncharted 2's graphics), a brand new story following the voyages of T.E. Lawrence in the Sahara desert, and the whole plane crash thing just looks epic. I've got a really strong feeling that this is going to the best Uncharted yet, and I'm actually predicting a 10/10 from GameSpot. Yes, I just said that.

#1:

Batman: Arkham City

Of course this was my number one! The first Arkham Asylum game is one of my all time favorites, and is one of the only two games that I've ever given a perfect rating to on GameSpot. And Arkham City looks just as good, even though it looks like we're going to be seeing less of The Joker, we've still got a great arsenal of villains to deal with including Two Face, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and the villain that's been marketed as the big cahoona of Arkham City... Hugo Strange. And like with Uncharted 3, the graphics look better than the original, which I thought was pretty much impossible considering how good Arkham Asylum looked. Just watch the Hugo Strange trailer on YouTube and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. 2011 is shaping up to be a great year for games, and Batman: Arkham City is leading the charge.

.....................................................................................................................

Song of the Day:
Heartbroken, In Disrepair - Dan Auerbach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc5rxu9zCKY

Picture of the Day:

The Coen Bros. hit the bullseye with a fun and gorgeous western for the ages

Joel and Ethan Coen are without a doubt two of the greatest modern cinematic minds. They've done everything from comedic period pieces to disturbing dives into the criminal mind and just continue to expand their scope. And they've continued to do so with True Grit, the remake of the 1969 John Wayne film, which was based on the novel by Charles Portis that came out the year before. Now I'venever seen the original movie, but I have read the novel, so I can judge it based off of that. But even if I hadn't read the novel, I would still be able to tell you thatTrue Grit is an outstanding film, and is easily one of the year's best. All of the major aspects of this movie are done right, creating not only a great movie to add to the Coen Brothers'resume, but also a very funbut still dramatic experience.

The Good

• The cinematography is stunning, making theatmosphere of the old west bothvibrantly beautiful and sinisterly bloody

• The entire cast does an amazing job, the standouts being Jeff Bridges andnewcomer Hailee Steinfeld

• It's very loyal to the novel, which is a good thing because it uses the book's fantastic dialogue

• The comedic bits are executed very well, resulting in some pretty funny moments

• The costumes are great,adding to the realisitc enviornment

• Even though I knew what was going to happen, the movie was still able to keep me on the edge of my seat

• The gunplay is very realistic andentertaining

The Bad

• It feelsslightly too quick, and I was left wanting a little bit more

The Ugly

• Are you kidding?

Overall, True Grit is a very entertaining film, one of the Coen Bros. best as well as one of the best of 2010

Final Grade: A

...........................................................................................................

Fantastic performances by Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush result in a great film fit for more than a king

When I first saw the trailers for The King's Speech, I assumed that it would just be your typical December Oscar bait, and I wasn't really interested in it. But I figured that I needed to see more Oscar contenders, and this just happened to be the movie that I went to. And I'm extremely happy that I did see this movie, because The King's Speech is without a doubt one of the best movies of 2010, anchored by an incredible performance by Colin Firth and even greater performance by Geoffrey Rush. Is it for everyone? Definitely not. But is a great film? Absolutely.

The Good

• As I've alreadysaid twice before, Colin Firthis excellent as the stammering King George VI, and Geoffrey Rush deserves an Oscar for his performance as the king's speech tutor
• The movie is very funny while still having a good amount of suspense throughout
• The sets are very impressive, adding a lot to each scene
• The camerawork is very impressive, being pleasantly awkward at points and widely scoped and booming at other points
• The musical score is very affective
• The dialogue is brilliant

The Bad

• Some points are a little slow and somewhat unecessary

The Ugly

• Nothing here!

Overall, The King's Speech is a movie that film buff crowds will eat up, but the common moviegoer might be slightly bored by it, but either way, it truly is a masterful film, and one of the year's best.

Final Grade: A

Song of the Day:
Big Wave - Jenny and Johnny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwtV7L5bxtk

Picture of the Day:

I don't think I really need to explain anything to start this one off...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Well folks, it's the greatest day of the year again, and so far, I've had a very merry Christmas, as I hope you all did too. I didn't get a very big haul of video games this year, but I really racked up on Blu-Rays so that's a plus. This year I landed...

I also got a lot of clothes, but you guys don't wanna know about that :P.

Well, I just wanted to wish all of you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year :)

P.S. My review of True Grit will be up soon :D

Song of The Day:
White Christmas - The Drifters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9dW6wkA-s0

Picture of the Day:

Well folks, it's that time of year! It's time for the 2010 Blaze Awards!

Yes it's the time of year in which I reveal my winners in different categories of gaming. Everything from Worst Game Of The Year to Best Game Of The Year will be revealed in this blog. So without further ado, I give to you, THE 2010 BLAZE AWARDS FOR VIDEO GAMES!

Categories:
Atmosphere
Graphics (Technical)
Graphics (Artistic)
Original Soundtrack
Sound Design
Voice Acting
New Character
Ending
Most Memorable Moment
Multiplayer
Story
Most Disappointing
Worst Game of the Year
Best Game of the Year

And here we go!

Best Atmosphere:

Runner-Up:

BioShock 2

Winner:

Red Dead Redemption

Graphics (Technical) :

Runner-Up:

Mass Effect 2

Winner:

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

Graphics (Artistic) :

Runner-Up:

God of War III

Winner:

BioShock 2

Original Soundtrack:

Runner-Up:

Super Meat Boy

Winner:

Red Dead Redemption

Sound Design:

Runner-Up:

Halo: Reach

Winner:

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Voice Acting:

Runner-Up:

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Winner:

Red Dead Redemption

New Character:

Runner-Up:

Alex Mason (Call of Duty: Black Ops)

Winner:

John Marston (Red Dead Redemption)

Best Ending: (SPOILER ALERT!)

Runner-Up:

Halo: Reach

Winner:

Red Dead Redemption

Most Memorable Moment: (SPOILER ALERT!)

Runner-Up:

"The Lizard Trial" (Heavy Rain)

Winner:

"Revelations" (Call of Duty: Black Ops)

Best Multiplayer:

Runner-Up:

Halo: Reach

Winner:

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Best Story:

Runner-Up:

Alan Wake

Winner:

Red Dead Redemption

Most Disappointing Game

Runner-Up:

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

Winner:

Naughty Bear

WORST GAME OF THE YEAR!

Runner-Up:

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 is a game that proves that movies and video games don't mix at all. This game has nothing going for it, with clunky and plastic-like graphics, terrible gameplay, mediocre voice acting, dozens of missed opportunities, and a lackluster soundtrack (sorry to all Lamb of God fans), the video game adaptation of Iron Man 2 was cheap in every meaning of the word.

Winner:

Backbreaker

My god is this game horrible. It completely destroys the image of football video games (which I kind of like). Backbreaker is one of those games that got nothing right, it had extremely goofy and unrealistic graphics, some of the weirdest controls I've ever seen, terrible lighting, and a really bad use of the Euphoria engine. I've been waiting a long time for a sports game to use Euphoria just to see how it turned out, and this was not a good introduction to it. It doesn't make the animations more realistic, it just makes all of the player jiggle and squirm in a really uncomfortable way. In a word, Backbreaker is just unpleasant. It tickles the gag reflex and should never be played by anyone, football fan or not.

BEST GAME OF THE YEAR!

Previous Winners:
2007 - Winner: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Runner-Up: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
2008 - Winner: Fallout 3
Runner-Up: Little Big Planet
2009 - Winner: Batman: Arkham Asylum
Runner-Up: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Runner-Up:

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Black Ops is without a doubt the most in-depth game in the Call of Duty franchise. Unlike the other games which were standard war shooters, Black Ops goes into covert government operations and the tortured psyche of a man who's seen the worst of the 1960's unfold. It's a little scrambled at first, but it doesn't take long for you to get attached to the game's characters and get sucked into the huge variety of locations. And of course, Black Ops has the year's best multiplayer experience, once with which you can go hours and not come anywhere close to getting tired of it. Every single detail of this game is etched in with masterful poise and it's without a doubt the runner-up for the Best Game of 2010.

AND THE WINNER FOR 2010'S GAME OF THE YEAR IS...

Are you at all surprised? Red Dead Redemption was a lock for my Game Of The Year since the day it came out. How could not be? It's absolutely perfect for me, it's a Rockstar game in a western setting with a complex story, lots of gunplay, an enormous cast of characters, breathtaking visuals, and an Ennio Morricone inspired soundtrack. All it's missing is Kings of Leon :P! Red Dead Redemption is without a doubt my favorite game of all time, even though it just came out seven months ago, I've never loved any video game more than this, and there's no way that I ever will.

And there you have it! My 2010 Blaze Awards! I hope you enjoyed them, and please feel free to disagree with my selections... just not too harshly though :P. Next will be my awards in the field of cinema, followed by my Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2011.

Signing Off,
Alex

(And yes, I just revealed my real name!)