I’m super psyched about everything going down in the entertainment world this weekend, so this week’s wrap comes a little early! ( although some weeks it doesn’t show up at all lol) So without further ado…let’s get to it!

THEATERS

The summer blockbuster season is officially in full swing. to say that I’m pumped about this week’s releases is a bit of an understatement. On the big screen this week we have: Night at the Museum II, Dance Flick, and ….wait for it…wait for it…Terminator: Salvation! Night at the Museum is the sequel to the Ben Stiller flick where the entire museum comes alive due to a magic curse.  The original had some pretty good laughs and was pretty entertaining. The sequel seems a bit corny and overdone, but still worth watching. This seems like one of those rare movies that adults will be into just as much as the kiddies.

Then there’s the Wayans brothers’ Dance Flick. I’m not a huge fan of these slapstick satire movies that spoof a whole genre ala Disaster Flick. However, I’ve been laughing at the Wayans’ humor since the In Living Color days. Seeing as how they started this whole trend with the insanely funny Scary Movie  and Scary Movie 2 (every one after these two was just junk) I’m actually eager to see what they can bring to the table with Dance Flick. While the previews look a bit on the stupid side, they are funny stupid as opposed to stupid stupid.

Then there’s the movie I’ve been waiting for, perhaps my most anticipated film this summer, second only to Transformers 2, Terminator: Salvation. When I first found out it was going to be directed by Mc G (director of both Charlie’s Angels flicks) I was a bit worried. I thought enough damage had already been done to the franchise with T3 Rise of the Machines.  It wasn’t a bad movie, but nowhere near the standards of the first two. Then I saw the trailers for Salvation and I started to get excited. Now that the hype machine is in full swing and previews are everywhere, this movie looks sick! Not to mention Christian Bale as John Connor, which adds another layer of credibility to the flick in my book.

DVD

With such a killer week on all fronts, something’s got to give. That something is this week’s DVD releases. Out this week are: Valkyrie, Paul Blart : Mall Cop, and My Bloody Valentine.  I posted up a review for Valkyrie when it was in theaters. It’s actually a pretty decent thriller so for more info, look up that review.  Paul Blart: Mall Cop is pretty self explanatory. If you’ve seen the previews, you know everything that happens in this movie. If you haven’t, then its about a fat mall cop whose mall gets overrun by terrorists. Think Die Hard but instead of Bruce Willis it’s a fat mall cop running around trying to stop them.  My Bloody Valentine looked cool in theaters, but only for the fact it was in 3d. The DVD version comes with 3d glasses but they are the crappy red and blue lens ones that give more of a headache than anything.

GAMING

The gaming gods have heard our cries, and they have answered. the drought is now over. Out this week: UFC Undisputed, Bionic Commando, and Punch Out! UFC Undisputed looks to be a solid game. I can’t remember the last time I spent so much time playing a demo, but I was hooked on this one. They seem to have finally got MMA right in a video game. The game has a solid ground fighting component, the stand up fighting is crisp, and overall the controls and gameplay are pretty deep showing each fighter’s unique style. Although the demo only featured Chuck Lidell and Shogun, you could really get a feel for their individual styles, which the game captured perfectly.  For MMA and gaming fans, this is the best of both worlds and definitely worth picking up and its available for PS3 and 360.

Bionic Commando is the modern revamping of the classic 8 bit game featuring a commando with an Inspector Gadget arm who could swing from platform to platform. This new Bionic Commando is just awesome. The game features intense gunplay combined with the free swinging feeling of a Spiderman game. Its a bit hard to put into words, but after spending some time with the multi-player demo, this game has all the potential to be the next big game from Capcom and its also availalbe for Ps3 and 360.

Speaking of blasts from the past, Nintendo resurrects one of its greatest games of all time with Punch Out for the Wii.  I haven’t even tried a demo, but needless to say this game makes me overjoyed that I have a Wii. From the previews, players once again play as Little Mac and fight their way up through the ranks against Glass Joe, King Hippo, and a bunch of new opponents in classic Punch Out fashion. Sadly, there is no Iron Mike in this one, but it still looks like a blast to play.

MMA

This weekend is UFC 98. There is a UFC event just about every month. While the cards keep getting better and better, this one is unique in that it features a championship bout in which both the Champ, Rashad Evans, and the challenger, Lyoto Machida, are undefeated. What is even crazier is that the Champ is the underdog. While I don’t really care for Evans, he has beaten some of the best MMA fighters in the world. No one can argue that the man definitely earned his title. Then we have Machida, who is just an anomaly. He is an elusive striker who uses his point karate style of fighting to knock people out. So far, no one has been able to figure out him out.  Just when opponents seem to have got a lock on him, he side steps strikes.

It’s almost impossible to try and pick a winner for this one, but I’ll try.  I like Machida and I don’t like Evans, but I’m going to go with Evans on this one. So many times I’ve thought he was outgunned and just outclassed, but he manages to pull out a victory, and often in devastating fashion. It wouldn’t surprise me if Machida took this fight, but I’m going to go with Evans.

Prediction: Evans round 3, TKO

The other highly touted matchup on this card is between Matt Serra and Matt Hughes. While both fighters seem to be in the twilight of their careers, this one is interesting because it’s a grudge match that’s been in the making for a few years now and is ust finally going down. Neither fighter is a contender for the belt, but they should definitely bring the heat to each other.  This fight is also difficult to call. In his prime, Hughes was a beast, and if they met back then I would choose him to win hands down. He’s lost a bit of his fire and has become a highlight reel for his opponents in his last couple fights. 

Serra is a bit of a wild card. In my opinion, Hughes has beaten the better competition overall, but you can’t discount Serra at all.  Serra shocked the world when he crushed GSP, which is no easy feat.  Although Serra went on to lose the rematch, the fact that he is unpredictable and explosive enough to take out GSP says a lot. This is definitely a tough call, but I’m going to go with Serra because his jiu jitsu will be the deciding factor. Both fighters look fairly even on their feet, but I think Serra’s jits is better than Hughes’ wrestling.  this fight could easily go either way, but that’s my pick.

Prediction:  Serra  round 3, TKO

Like I said before, this week is stacked in terms of entertainment. That’s the week and that’s a wrap.