Tag: Naughty Dog

Grounded II: Making the Last of Us Part II (2024 – Documentary) | REVIEW

Still from Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II, in which we see Ashley Johnson (the actress portraying Ellie in the games) — in full mo-cap gear — performing the extremely controversial scene that sparked outrage from a toxic vocal minority of the fanbase when presented out of context.

Directed by Ryan O’Donnell, Jason Bertrand, Cesar Quintero, and Matt Chandronait.

Normally, I’d agree that a behind-the-scenes documentary about a video game isn’t necessarily the most fascinating premise for a documentary. However, with The Last of Us: Part II (one of my favorite games ever made — and the sequel to my favorite game of all time), it is an entirely different story. The original game (i.e. Part I), which spawned an HBO adaptation last year (which I’ve reviewed every episode of, click here to have a look at those), is widely regarded as one of the best narrative games of the modern era, and, since its sequel is largely critically beloved, you might expect its releases to be all breezy and undramatic. In actuality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only was this video game about a global pandemic and zombie-esque outbreak released in the middle of an actual global pandemic in 2020, but the studio was also the victim of a massive leak of the game that detailed its most controversial and boundary-pushing twists leading to toxic online vocal minorities review-bombing it and harassing the people involved with it, despite the critical acclaim.

Continue reading “Grounded II: Making the Last of Us Part II (2024 – Documentary) | REVIEW” →

REVIEW: The Last of Us – “Look for the Light”

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie in HBO’s THE LAST OF US — PHOTO: HBO / Liane Hentscher.

The following is a recap and review of the ninth episode and season finale of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect story spoilers.

In the ninth and final episode of the first season of the HBO adaptation of the critically acclaimed video game franchise known as The Last of Us — titled Look for the Light — Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) finally reach the hospital that they’ve been moving towards. But how will the Fireflies greet them? Look for the Light was directed by Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider and The Last of Us: When We Are In Need) and written by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann.

Continue reading “REVIEW: The Last of Us – “Look for the Light”” →

REVIEW: The Last of Us – “Kin”

Gabriel Luna as ‘Tommy’ and Pedro Pascal as ‘Joel’ in HBO’s THE LAST OF US — PHOTO: HBO / Liane Hentscher.

The following is a recap and review of the sixth episode of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect story spoilers.

In the sixth episode of the first season of the HBO adaptation of the masterful video game franchise known as The Last of Us — titled Kin — Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) reach Wyoming and search for Joel’s brother, Tommy (played by Gabriel Luna), and Joel starts having panic attacks. Kin was directed by Jasmila Žbanić (Quo Vadis, Aida?) and written by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl).

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REVIEW: The Last of Us – “Please Hold to My Hand”

Bella Ramsey as ‘Ellie’ and Pedro Pascal as ‘Joel’ in HBO’s THE LAST OF US — PHOTO: HBO / Liane Hentscher.

The following is a recap and review of the fourth episode of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect story spoilers.

In the fourth episode of the first season of the HBO adaptation of the masterful video game franchise known as The Last of Us — titled Please Hold to My Hand — Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) are on their way to Wyoming to find Joel’s brother. But when they have to take a detour, they are ambushed in Kansas City. Please Hold to My Hand was directed by Jeremy Webb (Downton Abbey; The Umbrella Academy) and written by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl).

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8th I’m Jeffrey Rex Awards – 2020

It’s finally time to reveal what films, shows, songs, performances, and games were my absolute favorites of the year 2020. Look, I know what you’re thinking, we’re already in July of 2021. But, to be perfectly honest with you, the last twelve-to-sixteen months or so have for obvious reasons made everything a bit unclear to me. Let’s just say, it was a weird year, as was also evident by the fact that AMPAS decided to push the eligibility window for their recent awards ceremony (which both honored 2020 films and select films from early 2021). I’m not doing that, though. I still have my strict year-end deadline, but, unlike the last seven I’m Jeffrey Rex Awards, I’m announcing both the nominees and winners of each and every category in this very post. So strap in, folks, and let’s talk about the best and most memorable culture of 2020.

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Look for the Light: The Last of Us: Part II is a Truly Special Game

The Last of Us: Part II – Naughty Dog – Sony – PS4 Screenshot

The following article features story spoilers for the entirety of both The Last of Us and The Last of Us: Part II. Do not read the article before you finish both games.

In 2013, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us — my favorite video game ever made —  was released exclusively on PlayStation 3 (it was later remastered on PlayStation 4) to near-universal praise and numerous accolades. On the surface-level, this was a survival horror game in the zombie sub-genre. But it was also so much more than that. It was a story about love and rediscovering something to fight for. Gamers primarily played as Joel Miller (Troy Baker), a smuggler without scruples, who was tasked with transporting a young girl, Ellie (Ashley Johnson), across the United States for the purpose of crafting a vaccine to the fungal virus that had turned infected humans into ruthless barely-human creatures without rational thought. Continue reading “Look for the Light: The Last of Us: Part II is a Truly Special Game” →

Casting the HBO adaptation of THE LAST OF US – Special Features #65

HBO and PlayStation recently announced that Chernobyl-creator Craig Mazin will develop a series adaptation of the hit PlayStation game THE LAST OF US with Neil Druckmann, who was the writer and co-creative director on the original game. Druckmann is also one of the chief creatives working on the game’s highly anticipated sequel, THE LAST OF US: PART II. As I’ve definitely written before, THE LAST OF US is my favorite game ever made. It is a masterpiece. So, today, I want to give my updated opinions about who should play the game’s main characters in the upcoming HBO adaptation. Continue reading “Casting the HBO adaptation of THE LAST OF US – Special Features #65” →

Recap: The Last of Us Part II – PSX 2016 Reveal Trailer

I don’t often write about games here, but some times I make an exception. I’ve reviewed a few games back in the day, including the story DLC for The Last of Us, which was called Left Behind. Now, some of you may know this, but if you don’t then let me level with you: 2013’s The Last of Us is my favorite game of all-time.

Now, it didn’t necessarily need a sequel, but I’ve been hoping for one for a long time now. Today, at the end of the PlayStation Experience, PlayStation reveled that we are, in fact, getting a sequel: The Last of Us Part II. You can watch the reveal trailer above, and when you’re done, I’ve got a trailer recap for you right here.  Continue reading “Recap: The Last of Us Part II – PSX 2016 Reveal Trailer” →

Uncharted: The Movie – Casting #1

CASTING - Who Should Play Who?

Casting has replaced The Collection on the monthly schedule. The Collection will return on an unspecified date.

Uncharted is one of the most beloved Sony PlayStation video game franchises of all-time. It is incredibly cinematic, and it definitely should become a movie, or a series of movies, one day in the future. But before the movie studio starts to pick who should play Nathan Drake, let’s beat them to the punch. Who should be in the cast for an Uncharted: The Movie. Continue reading “Uncharted: The Movie – Casting #1” →