Hijinks Movie Reviews: Shutter Island

Welcome to our first movie review! (Well, technically the 2nd movie we’ve reviewed I guess, but the first from our ‘new look’ Hijinks Inc. And even then, that movie was reviewed twice as you’ll find here and here… and I’ll be wrapping up this rabbit trail right about…. now)

Shutter Island is based on a book by the same name and was released in theaters February 19, 2010 and on Blu-ray and DVD June 8, 2010. A quick lookup on Wikipedia will give you this blurb:

Shutter Island is a 2010 American psychological thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese. The film is based on Dennis Lehane‘s 2003 novel of the same name. Production started in March 2008. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as U.S. Marshal Edward “Teddy” Daniels, who is investigating the psychiatric facility on Shutter Island.

I’ve always had tepid anticipation for pretty much every Leonardo DiCaprio movie because I still kind of hold it against him that a crappy movie like Titanic (the boat sinks people! We all knew that going in and it STILL held the box office record!) sat atop the box office mostly due to little girls repetitively attending and fawning over Leo. However, he’s been in some really good movies lately, The Departed being my favorite, so maybe I need to re-evaluate my opinion of him. The fact that this was another Martin Scorsese film also grabbed my attention, but still, it looked like it was just trying to be the next creepy horror-ish type movie, probably with a twist at the end that nobody was supposed to see coming. I guess, to an extent, this holds true, but it’s done very well. More after the jump, including possible spoilers.

Continue reading Hijinks Movie Reviews: Shutter Island

Hulu Plus Announced – Invite Only

Hulu PlusYes, you have to be invited (for now), but holy crap, the long rumored subscription based Hulu Plus is real.

$9.99 a month gets you access to full seasons of TV shows on all sorts of devices, support currently includes the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, some Samsung TVs / Blu-ray players, and various game consoles and set top boxes will be supported later this year. Did I mention it’s all in HD? And If Hulu can just get some current movies added in there Netflix might have some competition. And remember kids, competition is good.

Also, the only device I care about being supported is the iPad, I’ve been using Hulu on my TV for years.

Now what are you waiting for!  Hit up this link to apply for access and let us know if you get in!

Android App Review: QuickDesk Beta

My QuickDesk
My QuickDesk

Publisher: Faruq Rasid
Platform: Android (All versions)
Cost: Free! (Donations Encouraged)
[AppBrain Link]
Release Date: June 20, 2010
Version Reviewed: 0.2

As an Android user, I rely heavily on my home screens to launch and switch between applications.  While this works well, I’ve often wondered if there was a better way to move between applications.  One trick I use often is to hold down on the home button; this will bring up a list of the most recently used applications.  While this feature is nice, it is very limited.  Thanks to the creative mind of Faruq Rasid, there’s now a better way: enter QuickDesk.

QuickDesk is not a home screen replacement, it’s an add-on that allows you to launch an app or even use a widget from within any application in Android.  It’s a semi-transparent screen that you can pull up from anywhere by simply double-tapping the home button or long pressing the search button.  On this screen, you can add app shortcuts, folders, and widgets in the 5×4 area.  It’s a great place to put settings widgets, direct call links, or anything you use frequently. Continue reading Android App Review: QuickDesk Beta

Hijinks Reviews: Glyder 2 for iPad

Publisher: Glu Media
Platform: iPad
Cost: $.99 (on sale)  [iTunes Link]
Release date: April 1st, 2010
Version Reviewed: 1.01

I remember getting my Nintendo 64 back in the day and playing the 2 games I bought with it for hours on end. There was a snowboarding game whose name escapes me, and then there was Pilotwings 64. In Pilotwings you flew all manner of contraptions with the goal of ending up in the flashing circle at the end of the course. There was something soothing about gliding though the air on the hang glider, skimming across the surface of the landscape and performing gravity defying stunts whenever the fancy took me. I hadn’t even thought about Pioletwings for years until this past month when a new Pilotwings was announced for the Wii. Shortly after that announcement I played Glyder 2.  Heelooooo, dejavu. Continue reading Hijinks Reviews: Glyder 2 for iPad