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Let me state for the record that I never bothered to watch the first National Treasure movie after I knew it was a Disney film, turns out it's a good thing I did. However, I got dragged along to watch this sequel released 3 years after the original film since I didn't have anything else to do on Christmas's eve. Hence, I was slightly skeptical when I stepped into the theater to watch National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Unfortunately, my doubts turned out to be true.

No offence Disney, but you'd be better off sticking with movies and shows for children rather than trying to produce movies like National Treasure which are aimed at a more mature audience. The movie was pretty much a typical Disney production. There's a good guy (in the form of renowned treasure hunter Benjamin Gates played by Nicholas Cage) whose great-great-grandfather's name has been tarnished when a bad guy (Mitch Wilkinson, played by Ed Harris) convinces everyone that he was the mastermind behind the Lincoln assassination. So, he sets out to search for some treasure to prove his great-great-grandfather's innocence and solves many clues along the way and overcomes many obstacles with his estranged girlfriend, Abigail (played by Diane Kruger) and good friend, Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) (how finding a treasure helps, I'm not all too sure). Then, midway through, the bad guy tries to track his movements as he wants to search for the treasure himself. However, in the end, he has to work with Gates to find the treasure, in the process of doing so, the bad guy eventually dies and everyone lives happily ever after.

Watching the show ultimately feels like you're playing an Xbox adventure game since you have to find clues and solve mysteries and ultimately find a reward at the end of the day as you battle through various obstacles. Sounds great, only problem is that you're watching someone else play the game and he's obviously using some cheat code since Gates can solve every puzzle presented to him in a matter of seconds. The story and plot is pretty childish since everything doesn't make much sense and much of it is only there to help move the movie along. For example, midway through the film, Gates "kidnaps" the president to gain some information he needs and ends up releasing him after that. However, after that he easily evades capture, and can still travel all the way to the Mount Rushmore monument without anyone bothering about him. And you'd think someone would have noticed the hidden entrance to the treasure by now if it's located at Mount Rushmore.

The acting in the film is pretty good, with many bits of comedy thrown in for good measure. At least there isn't really any part that'd make me want to cringe. The scenes depicting the underground cave the group has to travel through and other special scenes look pretty good and the effects are definitely top notch, especially the scene depicting the treasure at the end (I won't spoil it for you). All in all, if you try and forget all the inconsistencies within the plot, it's a pretty good film.

All in all, this is a pretty mediocre film at best and is something you'd see on Disney channel in the future anyway. My advice is that it's not worth your money to go watch it in a cinema, wait for it to premiere on Disney channel or rent a DVD at most if you must when it's released. If you're really really bored, National Treasure: Book of Secrets isn't a complete waste of your time and money though.

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In recent years, more and more Real Time Strategy (RTS) games have been popping up all over the market. Unfortunately, most of them have pretty much similar basic gameplay mechanics: collect resources, build buildings, build troops, fight it out with your opponent(s) until someone eventually lasts longer. Of course, most RTS games try to play around with the formula by introducing more unique gameplay mechanics in order to make the game appealing. However, in my opinion the most unique gameplay mechanic of all that has been introduced into an RTS game in recent times is the one in Impossible Creatures, an RTS game developed by Relic and published by Microsoft back in year 2002.

Despite being a 5 year old game, that doesn't make this game too outdated (Starcraft is almost 10 years old and is still being played competitively nowadays). It has an extremely unique gameplay mechanic: it allows you to create your own army before an actual match, and the way in which you do this is what's special. Basically, you're given a database of around 70 animals and insects (if you download the free Insect Invasion expansion that is), all of which have different stats (size, health, damage, ability to fly/swim, etc). From there, you then have to mix 2 creatures together to form a single unit. You are able to determine which animal's head, torso, front and hind legs and tail you want on your resultant creature. For example you could have a dog with a whale's head or an owl with a beetle's torso. Every small detail affects your resultant animal in big ways. For example if you decide to include a crocodile's tail on a land animal, that creature will become an amphibious creature, allowing you to swim and move around on land. If you give a dog an eagle's wings, it will be able to fly. This sounds next to absurd, hence the game's title Impossible Creatures. You then have to create 9 different creatures to form your army, and even then there are other things to consider such as the level of research of each creature and the cost required to build them in game.

All this might sound very complicated, but in my opinion that's what gives this game such a deep and unique gameplay. The reason being that practically no two people will have exactly the same army, because there are an infinite number of possible combinations. Even if 2 people choose to mix the exact same 2 animals out of around 70 of them, the different parts of the animals you choose will still affect the resultant creature's stats and price and even research level. This is important because you start off at research level 1 at the beginning of any game, this means you can only build creatures of that research level. As you collect more resources (coal and electricity), you'll be able to gradually research higher levels up till level 5 when you can finally build your most powerful (and expensive) creatures. This then opens up even more possible tactics for the player to take. Some players might choose to have more level 1 creatures so that they can rush (attack in the early stages of the game) their opponent and hopefully clinch an early victory, or others might have more level 5 creatures and possibly use towers to defend their base in the early game until they can tech up to higher levels so that they can quickly produce more powerful creatures. The possible scenarios and outcomes are endless due to the different armies.

However, while the gameplay itself might still be fresh, the graphics certainly aren't. Don't get me wrong, this game is by no means ugly, but they just don't look too good 5 years later. Still, Starcraft uses 2d sprites and people are still playing that game, so I'm not going to complain about the graphics of Impossible Creatures. The sound effects on the other hand is top notch, save for some corny voice acting. There's nothing much for me to comment about the sound, though the animals will all produce very authentic sounds when you click on them or order them to move around, which is a nice touch.

Unfortunately, despite having such a unique gameplay and a fresh idea in a market full of RTS clones, Impossible Creatures never really caught on. It might be because of the name itself, as well as the fact that the box art makes it seem like a game intended for children. By no means does that mean that no one's playing the game anymore. There's still a large community for it which is still releasing their own mods for the game which adds even more creatures to the game and tweaks some of their stats. For anyone looking for a breath of fresh air when it comes to RTS games, I'd definitely recommend you check out Impossible Creatures.

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My personal avatar

The internet has certainly made it a lot easier for individuals to interact with people all over the world, through things such as instant messaging, VOIP, forums, etc. It allows people to better understand the world around them and also make new friends online when they discover like-minded individuals. For people looking for a great way to meet new friends online, GaiaOnline.com is definitely a site worth checking out.

For those who still don't know what it is, Gaia Online is a forum-based website where everyone's avatars are anime-styled characters which are able to don different pieces of clothing and accessories which can be purchased either using virtual gold or paying for it with real cash. The reason why it's called a "forum-based" site is because back in 2003, when the site was first opened to the public under the name Go-Gaia, it was initially just made up of a forum and an avatar customization feature. However, since then, Go-Gaia has evolved into Gaia Online and added a ton of new features. So many in fact that I wouldn't even know where to start.

When I personally joined the site in 2004, they had lesser features than they do now. Back then, the only game which you could play was Fishing, which got boring quickly. Which is why most people still mainly stuck to the forums and marketplace where you could sell or buy items to customize your avatar with. However, they've added games like slots, blackjack, jigsaw and a few others to entertain users.

It doesn't stop there, they've also added things such as the Gaia Towns feature which basically brings your avatar into a Flash application and you can then move around and talk to people in real time, kind of like in Habbo Hotel for those who know that site. It's really great to be able to see your avatars come to life and actually move about instead of having them merely standing beside your messages in forum posts. They've also recently added a virtual theater where you can actually watch movies with other users in a virtual cinema. Of course, they don't have any of the latest Hollywood blockbusters, but they do have great movies like Space Jam and even The Matrix.

However, despite the radical changes that have been implemented, Gaia Online still holds true to its original goal: to allow people meet and interact with one another in a virtual environment. That's why even with the addition of Gaia Towns, there are still a ton of people in the forums since it's basically what Gaia Online first started off with and what everyone has grown accustomed to. The great thing about Gaia Online is also the way in which you earn gold. That's done by doing simple things, such as exploring the site by clicking around, posting in the forums or even polling in any poll. It's that simple, and with that gold you can buy items to outfit your avatar with. While this sounds extremely shallow, it can get extremely addictive. The problem is that Gaia Online keeps on adding new items all the time and by now it's really impossible to keep track of how many items they've added to the site. So much so that www.tektek.org has been set up to aid users with Gaia Online. There are so many items that no two avatars will ever look the same because there are an infinite number of possible combinations of items. That's also another great thing about Gaia Online, you are able to have a unique avatar which can truly represent yourself in a virtual world.

Gaia Online is obviously a great place to meet like-minded individuals, especially by joining Guilds. Users are able to set up Guilds based on a specific topic so that all users are able to congregate in that specific forum to discuss about that particular topic. For example there are quite a few Star Wars Guilds out there and even Guilds based on Final Fantasy where users even role play characters in forums. It really becomes a very immersive experience after awhile since there are definitely a ton of people with whom you can role play with. Also, you can rest assured that no matter what topic you're interested in there'll be a guild set up for it. Of course, even if there isn't one, you could easily start one yourself. The great thing about having these guilds is that you are able to hang out with people who have similar interests to your own.

Gaia Online is a really great site, though some might be turned off by the anime theme. However, there are tons of features that will keep users coming back for more. For example they're planning on introducing a whole MMORPG game to Gaia Online so that users can play using their very own avatars. Still, it's not like there aren't already enough features to keep you occupied. With forums, games, movies and a great community, there's no reason for me to not give this site the best 5/5 rating.

P.S: If you're thinking about signing up, I suggest you do so soon. Gaia Online is giving away a unique special item everyday from the 12th to 24th of December as a Christmas special. These special items can really increase in value over time. Also, when you're signing up, please include "spvn" as the referrer.

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When Meet the Parents hit theaters worldwide back in 2000, it met with critical acclaim and practically every movie-goer enjoyed this hilarious comedy directed by Jay Roach. Thus, it was no surprise that he would direct a sequel to the movie, entitled "Meet the Fockers" which eventually came 4 years later after the first film. Unfortunately, Roach failed to win over the critics with this sequel as it got mostly mediocre reviews across the board. However, that doesn't necessarily make this a bad film in my opinion.

In the original film, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) was about to propose to his girlfriend, Pamela Byrnes (Teri Polo), when he had to stay over at Pam's house over the weekend and endure her parents and family, most importantly of all is her father, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) who is a former CIA operative and bent on testing Greg to his limit to find out if he's good enough for Pam. As Greg continues to try and impress Jack, the whole movie becomes a hilarious comedy. In the 2004 sequel, it's Jack's turn to go "meet the Fockers" (ie. Greg's parents). Before he meets them, he's pretty confident that there won't be any problems with them, stating "A doctor and a lawyer, what's there to worry about?"

Unfortunately for Jack, it turns out that the Fockers are anything but conventional. Greg's mother, Rozalin (Barbra Streisand), is in fact a sex therapist while his father, Bernard (Dustin Hoffman), actually quit being a lawyer after Greg was born and is now a wild old man who always likes to crack somewhat inappropriate jokes in front of Jack. Initially, there is friction between Jack and Greg's parents since Jack is simply unable to accept their behaviour. However, by the end of the film both parties finally sort out their differences and Greg has finally proven himself worthy of being Pam's husband.

The film remains funny throughout with all actors and actresses delivering perfectly, though that's to be expected with such great talent. While Greg's parents find absolutely nothing wrong with their behaviour, Jack obviously takes offense and Greg keeps trying to smoothen things out by getting his parents to act "normal". All these problems result in absolutely hilarious situations especially with Ben Stiller delivering his role as the main character. For example Greg tries to get his mother to hide the fact that she's a sex therapist and thus has to clean up his mother's office and hide the more "inappropriate" books and statues in it.

However, this film clearly isn't as good as the original "Meet the Parents" was and will unfortunately have to be deemed as one of those usual bad sequels. What went wrong with this film? In my opinion, it's the script. The problem is that all the funny portions of the films seem to stem from only one thing: the difference in characters of the two in-laws. That's it, it seems like all the writers could think of is every single character difference they could squeeze into the script. After awhile, instead of being funny, some might even want to cringe at the jokes because it just gets monotonous.

All in all though, this is far from a bad movie, and still certainly a funny comedy. However it could have been better if the talented cast wasn't wasted on having to act out such a bland script. Still, if you're out there looking for a comedy to watch, Meet the Fockers might be worth the rent.

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A bald, hired assassin who is a professional at taking out his targets one by one, that is the premise on which the series of Hitman games is based on. With Codename 47 being the first game in the Hitman series released back in 2000, Hitman has certainly become a very significant icon in pop culture. Thus, it's not surprising that there's finally a film adaptation so that everyone can finally watch their favourite bald assassin doing his job on the silver screen instead of having to control him in a game. The problem is, this intriguing plot of Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant) being a professional assassin is probably the only interesting portion of this movie - Hitman (2007).

Let's start off with the plot, which was basically nonsensical. Near the beginning of the show, Agent 47 is sent to kill a Russian presidential candidate, Mikhail Belicoff, which he does. Turns out there was a witness to the assassination, so he has to kill her. But when he confronts her and realises that she's never seen him before, another agent from "The Organisation" tries to kill him. Why? Don't ask me. It only gets worse from here onwards.

That same presidential candidate later gives a speech and the media reports that the wound only grazed his forehead when Agent 47 is sure he killed the man. Turns out the man that Agent 47 killed was a double, and it turns out that Belicoff was the one who ordered the assassination. Why? Once again I got no clue.

Also, it turns out that Agent 47 was supposedly set-up to get him killed. Who did it and why? Still no clue.

Then in one of the scenes where 3 agents come to kill Agent 47 on a train, everyone points their guns at each other. Why didn't all three of them point their guns at Agent 47? Then suddenly, Agent 47 suggests that they die with dignity and everyone drops their guns and takes out swords to start fighting, and of course Agent 47 (being the "good" guy) easily won. Why didn't the other agents just shoot him already?

Then as the story unfolds, one of the Russian FSB guys is working with Belicoff in secret, to do what? The plot never reveals that as well. There are still plenty of parts which make absolutely no sense (at the end another agent tries to kill the female witness again, though there's really no point for him to kill her anymore) and it'll take me forever to recall them and list them all here. Bottom line is, for anyone looking for a movie with a remotely sensible plot, stay away from this show.

There isn't really much for me to comment when it comes to the acting itself. None of it really stood out in a positive or negative way, the acting throughout the entire movie was just... standard.

Well the only saving grace of this movie is probably the very fact that it's based on the Hitman franchise itself. Following a professional assassin around killing targets while evading capture at the same time is definitely an exhilarating experience for movie-goers. The film is obviously chock-full of action sequences, everything from run and gun scenes to hand-to-hand combat. All of these scenes are definitely top notch, if only they had a more solid storyline to back them up.

On the whole, fans of the Hitman games will undoubtedly want to watch this movie no matter what, but for others, I'd suggest you stay away from this film unless you're craving for some action film. But even then, watching an older film would probably be more worth your time due to the absolutely nonsensical plot present in Hitman (2007).

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