As a child I sat in a hard plastic chair in my town library and played The Oregon Trail until eventually my player died of dysentery. I thought it was cool to put my name on a list, hear it called out, and get to play for a whole 30 minutes all my myself. Little did I know/care that I was actually learning in the process. All of those memories came flooding back when I saw the new Roadside Attractions release, The Homesman. Read More →
It’s no surprise that Tom O’Brien‘s Manhattan Romance feels like a Woody Allen film. Most of Allen‘s most successful romantic comedies take place in Manhattan and have a tremendous amount of dialogue so in this sense, Manhattan Romance emulates Allen. The circumstances befalling his protagonist, Danny (played by O’Brien himself), and the absence of the signature Allen comedic touches distinguish the film from those of Allen. But they tread in the same water. That isn’t to say that Manhattan Romance is in the same league as films like Annie Hall or Manhattan, but could it be a distant relative? Read More →
What is the Budapest Gambit, you ask? Well, it’s a chess opening that apparently was able to draw top players into making mistakes only to lose the game. I think it’s an apt appraisal of Ian McDonald‘s Algorithms, a film about chess following three young players from India, which just so happens to be the birthplace of chess, as they vie for prominence in their home country and for a world championship. The catch with these young men is that they are all blind or are partially sighted. Picture that if you can. Chess, a game where there are 318,979,564,000 possible plays in the first four moves, being played by blind players. While these players can certainly be aided by technology that blind players in the past did not have access to, the undertaking is immense. Much is the task that McDonald undertakes in the documentation about three junior players. Read More →
Thirteen years after we first waged war in response to the September 11 attacks in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania, we are still seeing a trickling of films addressing the consequences of the invasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq. While there have been some great ones, the bulk of them have been documentaries – Hornet’s Nest, Restrepo and Standard Operating Procedure come to mind, while narrative films haven’t had quite the same success, The Hurt Locker winning Best Picture in 2009 being the shining example. There hasn’t been the same connection to the plight of the soldiers in these wars as, say, those who fought in Vietnam with Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Coming Home, The Deer Hunter and Full Metal Jacket leading the critical praise. Camp X-Ray is writer/director Peter Sattler‘s entry into the post-9/11 film mix. a film that hits some high points, but ultimately doesn’t capitalize on an interesting premise. Read More →
Airsoft is a skirmish sport that originated in Japan. It is a combat style game in which individuals or teams compete to eliminate their opponent with non-metallic pellets loaded in guns. Standard Airsoft guns are typically replica firearms having a mechanism for shooting projectiles 6-8 mm in diameter. As per operating principles, airsoft guns are classified as spring loaded guns, battery powered electric guns and gas-powered guns.
In the late 1980s, this sport spread to the UK and until the mid-1980s when more and more upper parts for AR-15 rifles started to emerge. The sport has been adapted as a purely recreational activity in many countries.
This skirmish sport is also used in the United States by numerous law enforcement agencies for force-on-force training drills in varying organized scenarios.
Airsoft with a replica weaponGuns tend to run at 350fps-500fps or higher depending on the gun and the manufacturer. All guns are legally liable to comply with the “orange tip” muzzle requirement in order to distinguish them from real live fire ammunition fire arms. Check TheEliteDrone’s airsoft sniper guide
Because our field is close quarter urban combat, we require that all guns playing in our arena are shooting at or below 330fps for safety and have technicians on site to do any alterations necessary to allow players to use their personal weapons in our arena.
All in all, remember that Airsoft is played to have fun. This seems like a no-brainer but I’ve seen many players get caught up in the moment as well as fights breaking out. Try to avoid anything that might spark a conflict because no one wants to be banned from their local field.
Due to the nature of the sport, Airsoft has specific laws made for it so it can help prevent any sort of confusion. Airsoft contains many realistic themes of the military which can cause problems if you don’t know what your country allows. In this section, we’ll cover the basic Airsoft laws that exist in the USA together with our brothers in Canada.
Airsoft equipment can be a very broad topic. In our case, I am referring to the gear you are bringing into the field. First and foremost, you’ll need a tactical military vest to hold your magazines and grenades. Depending on your field, you should find the appropriate camouflage and the number of pockets. Make sure you have enough pockets to store your magazines as well as quick and easy access to whatever equipped. After the vest, I wouldn’t worry too much about your pants unless you’d want to match the camouflage of your torso. Later on in this mega-article, we cover game-changing attachments that can give you pinpoint accuracy. But for now, explore and see what type of clothing you’d like to wear. Check out Eagle Six Gear for the best military apparel.
The BBs used are primarily 6mm size ball made of plastic. They come in different weights and brands as well as BioDegradable or Tracer style. Here at VIP Airsoft, we have our BBs custom created for used specifically within our arena. They are made of high quality plastic and are a custom color to help identify ours from others. This difference allows our players the opportunity to bring any unused BBs to later sessions. A HUGE advantage for our players!
Many players have compared getting hit by a BB as being snapped by a rubberband. This sensation can be lessened by the amount of layers being worn, safety protection and the fabrics. So dress accordingly and be prepared to get hit. While the FPS we run in our arena will not cause blood draw, it may leave marks that last about an hour. Again, the better prepared you come with what you’re wearing, the better off you’ll be and the better the experience you’ll have.
Rare is it that I find the need to find a film to scare me. I usually only need to watch the evening news (Ebola anyone?) or watch any political coverage to get my scares in. However, every once in a while, a film comes along the piques my interest in this arena and Ivan Kavanagh‘s The Canal is one of those films. After seeing the trailer, I was hooked (something that is also quite a rarity). So I gave it a spin and these are my thoughts… Read More →
They’re not just zombies. They’re Nazi zombies.
There may not be a better tag line written for a film in a long time. Fans of the 2009 hit Dead Snow, will immediately latch onto this epic sequel, Dead Snow; Red VS. Dead. This pull no punches zombie flick is a, for the lack of a more eloquent phrase, balls to the walls comedic gore-fest. If you’re a fan of genre flicks like Evil Dead and Shaun of the Dead, you’ll love this. Frankly, you don’t even have to have seen the original to adore the sequel. Dead 2 is almost entirely in English, unlike the first. (subtitles provided in the necessary areas are not distracting at all) Read More →
When you hear that Stephen King, the master of modern horror, is finally adapting one of his own works for the big screen, it’s easy to take notice. When you look at the principal two cast members of A Good Marriage in Joan Allen (who I adored in Searching for Bobby Fischer and The Ice Storm) and Anthony Lapaglia there something more to get excited about. Even though the last piece of fiction I read by King was Bag of Bones which was released in 1998, I still had high hopes for this project which is directed by Peter Askin whose documentary Trumbo was stunningly good. Does it lives up to its pedigree? Let’s take a look. Read More →
Sometimes when you see a film, from the outset you know it’s one you want to see – maybe because you like the lead actor, it’s the passion project of a director you respect or it has a message that is missing in other films. Livi Zheng‘s Brush with Danger is one of these films. Her first feature as a director that was written by her brother and co-star Ken Zheng, Brush with Danger tackles a hot-button topic in illegal immigration to the US from Asia. There are a million ways to approach a subject like this – going the character study route a la Cary Fukunaga‘s gorgeous Sin Nombre or showing the dark side of the immigrant experience like Stephen Frears‘ Dirty Pretty Things or even the battle-infused experience of Scorsese‘s The Gangs of New York, all of which were incredibly successful in telling their tales and engaging their audiences. It is unfortunate that Brush with Danger falls flat almost from the opening shot and doesn’t live up to the promise of an interesting premise. Read More →
While I was not afforded to time to attend last week’s first round of Shorts, today I had the pleasure of seeing The NYFF52 Shorts Program 2, a collection of really well done films. Engrossing, never dull, and surely surprising. Shorts are always a bit of a challenge to chat about. They are, after all, not long in length, so I’ve decided to give you a quick and yes, short, description below the teasers and photos…
Chlorine
I will admit that I am largely ignorant of dance and its history. Sure I can name George Balanchine, Bob Fosse and Bill T. Jones, but that’s because of the trivia buff in me. So going into Catherine Gund‘s Born to Fly, I had no idea who Elizabeth Streb is or anything about her aesthetic. Needless to say, this incredibly engaging documentary changed all of that. Read More →
As a long-time fan of Terry Gilliam’s films, it’s been a while since one of them really resonated with me. It’s not that the films he’s directed haven’t been good, but they haven’t quite lived up to the early work with Monty Python or films like the stone-cold classic Brazil, The Fisher King or 12 Monkeys. The productions of his films are legendary for the mishaps that befall them – The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, the ill-fated production of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (chronicled quite beautifully in Fulton & Pepe‘s Lost in La Mancha) and The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus which was derailed by the death of Heath Ledger come quickly to mind. Fortunate for us all, The Zero Theorem hits familiar Gilliam themes and is a return to form of an old master. Read More →
Yes, I am in a book club. There. I said it. I own it. It is awesome. This past year we have been focusing on books that have been picked up for film production. We have a lot to see over the next 12 months. Selections like Wild, Beautiful Ruins, The Vacationers, Gone Girl, and so on. Jonathan Tropper’s novel This Is Where I Leave You was on my list as soon as it was released in 2009, although I only recently got around to reading it. As a bibliophile, I found myself laughing out loud from the get go. The tremendously descriptive imagery, the seemingly familial story, the witty banter, all grabbed me right away. As a fan of the book, Tropper‘s page to screen translation was a huge success. Read More →
They say things don’t change once you get married. That, my friends, is a load a crap. There is an inherent shift, albeit subtle for some. Maybe it is just a piece of paper, legally, but there is a certain emotional weight to being hitched to another human being… for life. Read More →
Now that I’m in my 30’s I realize I have so much more figured out than I did even 5 years ago. I have a great relationship with my parents, an adoring husband, and loyal friends. I go to dinner parties, send thank you notes, give random strangers a smile and compliment, and definitively take my coffee light and sweet. But, it’s the quiet moments in between I still wonder, “What the hell am I doing?” In Writer/Director Ned Benson‘s latest film The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, we find a couple at the beginning of the end of their marriage. Husband and wife want different things and neither knows how to cope. The slow deterioration of a man and woman once much in love is a sad, but all too true story we all know. This one particular is unique in the fact that it it told from two very different points of view. Benson takes a look at what happens when we let that little voice inside take over the conversation. Read More →
When I was 11, I was dancing 5 days a week, going to girl scouts and slumber parties. Life was pretty incredible. I had not a worry in the world then. I did what I wanted, wore what I wanted, (when not in school uniform), loved The New Kids on The Block, and scrunchies. Everyday I came home from school and ate two pieces of American cheese folded into fourths. I was kind of peculiar, graceful yet awkward, bright and precocious, but I had a ton of friends and loved every day I was alive. Australian documentarian, Genevieve Bailey, recalls being just as happy at age 11. As an adult, she wondered if that was the case for kids today. Taking time off to travel, she decided that along here journey she would interview kids that were 11 and find out if they were as happy as we remembered being then. I AM ELEVEN proves to be a beautiful phenomenon and on the heels of the release of Richard Linklater’s BOYHOOD, the timing could not be more perfect. Read More →
Fresh with master shots, sly camera movements and clever inserts of nostalgic items such as record players flush with witty conversations on the meaning of life, sex and relationships, Peter Glanz‘s The Longest Week wears its influences on its sleeve – Wes Anderson and Woody Allen are everywhere in this film. The economic status of the characters could easily lead us to the New York comedies of Whit Stillman (Metropolitan in particular – the Jane Austen chatter alone pushes this). With all that cinematic genius being channeled, as the title of this article asks, is this a good thing? Maybe, maybe not. Read More →
I knew going into this film that the trailer alone was NSFW. I was in for a complete surprise when Wetlands as a whole blew the trailer way out of the water. Never have I ever experienced a movie so utterly disgusting and amazing at all once. Read More →
Mental illness is a hot button issue these days. We pretend to address it but if we’re being honest, we continue to sweep it under the rug. In a brand new film by writer/director Signe Baumane, we follow the true story of her familial heritage, specifically with undiagnosed bouts of severe depression. Read More →
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