The World of Joel

As many of you know I have been a member of the gaming press for well over five years reviewing most of the new games that come out and having the interview some of the greats in the industry. However that doesn’t mean I am not a bit biased in the games I would like to see made and here are some of the games that I think deserve some new life, some of which have just recently been announced.

- Link Golf Game: Tiger Woods has always been great, but living in America we do know that competition helps make our choices even better and Link 2004 for the Xbox was a great golf game and ever since Microsoft dropped the sports license it has been a “Link” free world.

- Red Faction 3 (Just Announced): Although I have just heard that it was announced, when I first thought of this list this was a game that I wanted to see. The geo-technology that this game had in the first two were just absolutley incredible and made for great experiences.

- Top Spin 3: Although it was not that long ago we saw Top Spin 2 on the Xbox 360 I want to see another game that has a much deeper Career mode. Both of the first two games are just incredible and a third would hopefully continue that.

- New Football from 2K: All-Pro Football 2K8 has been announced finally by 2K Sports and once again when I thought up the idea for this post it was well before this announcement as well. It should be interesting to see how the years off for the developers will do for the game without an NFL License.

- 2K Sports to create there own Boxing Game to compete with Fight Night. Maybe think about creating a more versatile and long lasting career mode?

- James Bond back in his original glory. With the extreme success of Casino Royale there is no reason why Activision who now holds the 007 rights can’t make a great 007 game.

The past few weeks I have been struggling with my first quarter at UCI and through everything there is one thing that no matter what gets me through everything. It’s the Power of Prayer. Sure many may say that there is no point, there is no God, there is no one to pray to. And I say to you that’s just not the case, there is a Lord, his name is Jesus Christ, and he has had such a detrimental impact on my life since the day I first came to know him. Through all my up’s and downs, through all my questions, and through all of my decisions, the power of Prayer has given me peace of mind knowing that my life is in the Lord’s hands. It’s an amazing walk, one that is not always easy, but one that I know was and still is the best decision I have ever made in my life.

I was listening to a song on the train on the way home from school and I just thought I should write down some of the lyrics. The song is called Choose Life by Big Tent Revival.

Trust the Lord with all your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your being. Hold on, listen and obey. Surrender your life, into his keeping. Choose Life that you might live, the life that he gives, he gives you forever, choose life the way that is true, from the one who chose you, your father in heaven, choose life.

So we are a few weeks into the launch of Movie-Stop.net and already we are making great strides forward. First off over half of our 25+ visitors a day are coming from Google which is a good thing, and that is without really any optimization of search engine submission. Secondly our updates have been as consistent as possible with news everyday and reviews coming in every other day. I do want to start getting more “in theater” reviews however the cost of going to see movies these days doesn’t warrant it as easily. Some goals however for the site are as follows:

- Create Some RSS Feeds for the News, Reviews, and Coming Soon
- Message boards would help with bringing more of a community feel
- Update design to make a bit more flashy and interactive, the current design I am happy with but could use some spicing up.
- Hire one more writer
- Start to contact movie Public Relations contacts and start receiving movies for review
- Have a few Giveaways
- Increase unique visitors to the triple digits by May 2007.
- Continue to upgrade the CMS with more options and better unification.
- Start doing some advertising on various websites.
- Get my first check from Google!
If you have any recommendations on the website please let me know as all help would be greatly appreciated!

Well I am currently in Week 5 or 6 of my first quarter here at UC Irvine and let me say this has been one of the most up and down rides of my life. Looking back on the past few weeks I have had some great success and some utter let downs. I guess this being my first quarter there I feel like I have something to prove to all those who said I couldn’t do it, or that I shouldn’t do it, and even myself. Going to UC Irvine has been so different in many ways. First off Jenn and I see each other even less now because after school I go to work and by the time I get home we have maybe an hour or two together and then I am back to the grind the next morning. UC Irvine has proven to be a difficult challenge in someways more then I expected.

This week and the previous have been Mid Term weeks and that means I have been hitting the books harder then I ever have before. I spent two whole days just beating myself up with Economics information and just felt like I couldn’t study any more. This weekend I have been going over Calculus and just feel utterly petrified about what this midterm could possibly do to my grades as I just don’t feel as prepared as I should. I guess the bottom line is I feel overwhelmed, to the point where at times I just feel like giving up. Luckily I know that, that’s not who I am nor is that something I plan on doing, its just the amount of stress that has gone into this first quarter makes me even more excited for the day I graduate.

Well to my great surprise and enjoyment Apple shipped my Macbook the same day I purchased it and it arrived on my doorstep the very next day. The greatest part is, I didn’t pay for overnight shipping I just went with there free shipping which was FedEx ground and it still came the next day so I am really impressed by that. So here are some of the pro’s and con’s of the Macbook and my impressions on the notebook. Just a quick disclaimer before I get into them. I have been a Windows user since the beginning of my computer use. I do own a Mac Mini but can’t say I really ever used it as a primary device, but instead just used it as a tester to see if I wanted to go to a Mac with my next notebook.

Pros:
- Design is gorgeous
- Battery life seems to be around three hours which is great
- ISight Camera is Built In and Works Very Nice
- Mac OS just feels really smooth and makes for a nice workspace
Cons:
- Taking sometime to get used to not having all of my windows keyboard functions
- Trying to get my old Thunderbird e-mails onto the Mac is becoming very tricky

So far though I am really enjoying my use of the Mac. I am really glad I splurged a bit and went for the Mac. More then anything it is just a nice change of pace. I will let you all know as I continue to use the notebook how it performs.

Since I graduated in June of 2004 I have had one of the worst experiences with Compaq notebooks that I think anyone can imagine. My first notebook which I got as a graduation gift was sent into to service 3-4 times and I was sent two or three replacement AC adapters and finally I was sent a new refurbished more up to date Compaq exactly a year ago. Now a year after being sent a new notebook I have already sent this current notebook in twice and they told me that last time was my final repair and that I only had thirty days in order to report any problems otherwise I would be charged for repair. Now about 4-5 months after the last repair my Compaq notebook has had its last breath. It started randomly shutting down yesterday and now it has completely shut down and I am finding no way to turn it back on. So I give up, I am done, goodbye Compaq notebook it has been a terrible ride and I am thrilled to get rid of you!

Luckily I just got in a nice bonus notice from Bank of America and last weekend did my taxes and got a nice little sum coming back to me all of which is going to my brand new MacBook ($1299 version) which I bought today and shipped today and it looks like should be arriving at my house tomorrow! Thats what I call good customer service! Anyways I will give you an update tomorrow when I get my MacBook!

So I have been going at Movie-Stop.net for the whole first week and so far so good. We have had some good comments from our piers and have been doing pretty good with content. I have posted a minimum of one news post per day except for one, and have been able to post a total of 6 reviews with a few still waiting to be posted. The traffic coming in has been up and down and I hope to see a steady increase this week.

We actually already got our first two movies for review as well which is a good sign, unfortunately they were Anime movies so nothing major yet. I am using Netflix to supply the rest of our review content as well as just going to see movies. So, so far so good with the site. Jake and I have been consistent with reviews and news posting and if we can keep a good rhythm going for the next few weeks we should be on our way!

Well after a great first half, the Indianapolis Colts are the Super Bowl champs. I have to say the first half of this game was what I call entertaining, its to bad the second half turned out to be so one sided. I think of the most interesting and inspiring parts of the ceremony where right on cue Tony Dungy shared his faith. It just proves to you that once again through Christ all things are possible. God Bless Ya Tony and great job Colts. Just think this time next year we are going to be seeing the 49ers hold up that nice shiny Vince Lombardi trophy!

In a recent survey that is hitting many blogs begs the question, do you have a life. This survey asks that you put an “X” next to each movie that you have seen. If you have over “85″ X’ed off then you do not have a life. Apparently my ‘94′ movies X’ed off means that I have no life.

( ) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
( ) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane
Total: 4

( ) The Princess Bride
(x) AnchorMan
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
( ) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) Saw III
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) V for Vendetta
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 10

( ) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
(x) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
( ) American Pie
( )American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 11

( ) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
( ) Harry Potter 3
( ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 14

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
Total so far: 21

( ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG
Total so far: 27

( ) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
(x) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
(x) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
(x) Flubber (the original one)
Total so far: 32

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
( )Chicago
(x)Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 34

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) 10 Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
(x) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 41

( ) Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean’s Eleven
(x) Ocean’s Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
( ) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
Total so far: 47

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
( ) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 52

( ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She’s All That
( ) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 60

(x) X-Men
(x) X2
(x) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
( ) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 70

(x) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
(x) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
( ) The 40-year-old-virgin
Total so far: 75

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
( ) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
( ) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
( ) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 78

( ) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
( ) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History X
( ) Three
Total so Far: 79

( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
( ) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total so far: 81

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(x) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
( ) Waterworld
Total so far: 84

( ) Kill Bill vol 1
( ) Kill Bill vol 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
(x) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 85

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 91

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
( ) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal
Total: 94