Let me speak a moment about video games. This argument has been made by better people than me, but, as far as I can tell, I am one of the stronger proponents of it. Video games need to stop sucking. Well, they don't "suck" per se. At least not in the typical definition. What video games are doing is trying to be overly mature like an annoying younger brother. This recent occurrence is best shown in the fact that colors are disappearing from our video games in lieu of a brown tint. For simplicity, I will entitle this happening as "The Browning."
Video games were born of color, once the technology came into existence. Obviously, Pong was not in technicolor. However, look at games on the Atari 2600, Colecovision, and Intellivision. Every game from Frogger to Bomb Squad contained vivid colors and for more reason than colors are pretty. They were colorful because what the games were depicting were fantasy; just figments of somebody's imagination. Video games weren't trying to be realistic. Developers knew their audience, and their audience wanted to feel like they were tripping on LSD. That is perfectly admirable. But now things have changed.
Video games aren't only for the fat, loser kids who sit alone in their darkened basement trying to beat the next dungeon in Legend of Zelda. Video games are, for lack of a better word, "cool" now. Well, some are. See, games like Mario Galaxy for the Wii or Ratchet and Clank are considered to be either gay or childish. The "cool" games are, of course, sports games (Madden) and games that have succumbed to The Browning. These are primarily first-person shooters, like Crysis and the poster child of them all, Halo. However, The Browing also affects games in the third-person shooter genre such as Army of Two and Gears of War.
I'm not saying The Browning shouldn't exist. I imagine myself feeling the same way if every game was an ocular assault of colors so powerful I went into convulsions. It isn't the fact that these games exist that bother me. It is the fact that these are the games that create the future trends. Halo, with all of its marginally-fun glory, has been a juggernaut in sales. Game developers, as standard human beings, care about money and their own wellbeing, so they take what made Halo so popular and apply it to every game they make from then on.
But, like I said, developers are only doing this to make a buck. If the public would stop buying these games, then they'd stop making them. So, there are two things that need to happen for me to be happy. First, internet game critics need to take their heads out of their rears and judge a game objectively. I know avoiding the media and their hype is difficult to do, but just because WWE.com says Army of Two is going to be amazing, doesn't make it a fact. Hear me Tycho of Penny-Arcade? I love your style of writing and wit, but you have lost your spine when it comes to gaming. I haven't heard you say a bad thing about an over-hyped game in years. Sorry for that tangent, but it had to be said. Anyway, critics need to get back to doing what their job entails: Criticizing.
Secondly, and here is the big one, consumers need to stop buying these games. A game can be perfectly fun without having a dirt-colored tint. Super Mario Strikers, Super Smash Bros.: Brawl, and No More Heroes are all fun games that have many colors. It is you, the consumer, who is stifling the creativity of the video game industry, and, most importantly pissing me off.
To end the video game rant portion of this update, I would like to thank Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation for providing the public with criticisms of games, even those he likes.
Moving on. It is less than two weeks from the Iron Man movie. I am very excited about it, to say the least. Every time I see the trailer I perk up. The action looks great, the acting looks great, the effects look great. This entire movie looks great. I read a review from Australia and they seem to agree. From everything I have been reading, the general public agrees, too. I was very nervous about this movie for a very long time Considering it was first scheduled to be finished by the summer of 2005, I think my anxiety was well placed. However, if you want something done well, it takes time. Look at Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, or Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. Both of those games had enormous delays, but are considered to be one of the best games for their respective systems. I hope for the best, and if a sequel is created, that it involves either Titanium Man or The Ghost. Both are badass villains, in my opinion.
Even though I am wary of new television series, I will give one a try if it recommended by a friend. So, with said recommendation, I gave Life a try. It is a drama on NBC about a detective who was wrongfully imprisoned for more than ten years and has recently been released and put back on the force. I wasn't a fan of the premise, but I gave the show a shot and watched the first season, and I have to say it was good. It didn't blow me away, and I have small problems with it, such as the weird facial expressions and over0bearing zen-like attitude of the main character, but it is a good show none the less.
Of course, I can't talk about TV without mentioning the recent return of two of my favorite sitcoms, The Office and 30 Rock. The debut episode for both of these shows sucked. The Office was overly dramatic and awkward, and 30 Rock was filmed with a different vibe and hardly even seemed like the same show. However, this last Thursday's episodes were great on both ends. The Office, while still awkward, went back to its roots of taking place at the office. 30 Rock brought back one of my favorite characters, Dennis, and it was a comedic masterpiece.
I saw a pretty weird movie a while ago. It's called Six String Samurai. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of the 1950s U.S., and the main character is a martial artist Buddy Holly lookalike with a sword in his guitar. The story is bizarre, but in a good way. The action scenes are actually really well done. A lot better than my expectations. The cinematography was weird, but it went well with the vibe of the movie. If you are an action movie fan, or a fan of weird movies in general, I say you should give it a shot.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Ha Ha, Dangly Parts
See, here's the thing, sometimes life throws you a curve ball, and the curve ball stomps in your windshield. I never posted last Sunday because I had an altercation last Sunday that involved my car being vandalized. As you can imagine, I wasn't in a writing mood after that. I was in more of a "Oh my God, my car is vandalized!" mood. However, everything is better now, and as a result, I am writing today instead.
In the life of video games I have been playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl a lot. However, the difference is that now I have the American version and I can play it on my own Wii. I have unlocked every character and almost every stage. I've touched on everything else already, so now I will talk about the online aspect of the game. Playing online with friends is a lot of fun. The custom taunts are funny, and if you're geographically close to the person you are playing then the lag isn't too bad. It should be noted there is lag, though. The lag is bad enough that it may cripple some players, but I personally don't have much of a problem. Playing against strangers is fun as well, but the odds are much higher your opponents will be father away. This, of course, means more lag.
I watched the first two episodes of a new show on Fox, Unhitched. It is a show about these four friends who all recently ended long term relationships. The commercials looked distasteful and crude, which normally doesn't interest me. However, I gave it a shot because it stars Rashida Jones, who was on a number of episodes of The Office. The show is crude and distasteful at times, but there is a heart to it. I'm not saying I am in love with the show, but it could be a lot worse. The main actor, Craig Bierko, is pretty good. He delivers witty lines with grace and cool. The two other main characters, the naive Indian doctor and the trashy best friend who has been through three divorces, haven't impressed me much. I'll keep an eye on the show.
I watched Point of No Return. I may be typing hastily, but it is basically a remake of the French film La Femme Nikita. Bridget Fonda was a good choice to play the lead role, but the film lacked the seriousness of its French counterpart. Also, Louis Letterier has a lot more style as a director. To say the least, I was disappointed. Oh, also I hate Gabriel Byrne. I cannot tolerate him as an actor. I will touch on that subject later.
My uncle came to me and suggested I watch American Psycho 2. I hardly ever turn down a movie, so I said sure. There are only two movies in my entire life that I couldn't finish, so cheesiness and poor quality have little affect on whether or not I'll watch it. So, I popped in the DVD and began watching it. However, 20 minutes in something happened that I will not tolerate in film: The senseless murder of a cat. To be fair, I do not know for sure if the cat died. I turned it off like I mentioned before. The cat was placed in a microwave and the microwave was turned on, though, and I think that is evidence enough.
Cats are vilified in nearly every form media I have ever seen. It starts when you're young and watching cartoons. The only time Sylvester the Cat ever won a fight was when it was against another cat. In every other fight, whether it be against a dog, bird, or mouse, Sylvester always fell off a building or had an anvil dropped on his head. Then in movies cats are always subjected to torture for little reason. If there is something in a movie, then it should be important to the flow of the story. Actions push the story forward, so if a cat gets murdered, it should be important to the story's progression. This is hardly ever the case. In Mindhunters a cat was hung for no apparent reason. In Willard a cat was not only devoured by a fleet of rats, but it was tortured and chased for a five-minute long scene before eventually dying. A dog in the same movie just was bitten and then set free. There is no reason to film a cat's death besides realizing some perverse fantasy. And I think we have reached the point in film where if you want to see a cat die, there are dozens of movies you can watch instead of filming a new one.
Also, I saw a new movie, The Bank Job. It stars my favorite actor Jason Statham and some other people. It's about a bank heist that takes place in 70s Britain, and it is based on a true story. The story isn't bad. It had twists and turns, and it had many different stories that all wound up tying together. The thing is that, the characters just weren't interesting. That's the one downfall of the movie. Everything else is fine, but the characters aren't compelling. This leads to the movie being moderately boring. It isn't bad, but it just isn't interesting. Instead, go rent Snatch. You'll be happier.
In the life of video games I have been playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl a lot. However, the difference is that now I have the American version and I can play it on my own Wii. I have unlocked every character and almost every stage. I've touched on everything else already, so now I will talk about the online aspect of the game. Playing online with friends is a lot of fun. The custom taunts are funny, and if you're geographically close to the person you are playing then the lag isn't too bad. It should be noted there is lag, though. The lag is bad enough that it may cripple some players, but I personally don't have much of a problem. Playing against strangers is fun as well, but the odds are much higher your opponents will be father away. This, of course, means more lag.
I watched the first two episodes of a new show on Fox, Unhitched. It is a show about these four friends who all recently ended long term relationships. The commercials looked distasteful and crude, which normally doesn't interest me. However, I gave it a shot because it stars Rashida Jones, who was on a number of episodes of The Office. The show is crude and distasteful at times, but there is a heart to it. I'm not saying I am in love with the show, but it could be a lot worse. The main actor, Craig Bierko, is pretty good. He delivers witty lines with grace and cool. The two other main characters, the naive Indian doctor and the trashy best friend who has been through three divorces, haven't impressed me much. I'll keep an eye on the show.
I watched Point of No Return. I may be typing hastily, but it is basically a remake of the French film La Femme Nikita. Bridget Fonda was a good choice to play the lead role, but the film lacked the seriousness of its French counterpart. Also, Louis Letterier has a lot more style as a director. To say the least, I was disappointed. Oh, also I hate Gabriel Byrne. I cannot tolerate him as an actor. I will touch on that subject later.
My uncle came to me and suggested I watch American Psycho 2. I hardly ever turn down a movie, so I said sure. There are only two movies in my entire life that I couldn't finish, so cheesiness and poor quality have little affect on whether or not I'll watch it. So, I popped in the DVD and began watching it. However, 20 minutes in something happened that I will not tolerate in film: The senseless murder of a cat. To be fair, I do not know for sure if the cat died. I turned it off like I mentioned before. The cat was placed in a microwave and the microwave was turned on, though, and I think that is evidence enough.
Cats are vilified in nearly every form media I have ever seen. It starts when you're young and watching cartoons. The only time Sylvester the Cat ever won a fight was when it was against another cat. In every other fight, whether it be against a dog, bird, or mouse, Sylvester always fell off a building or had an anvil dropped on his head. Then in movies cats are always subjected to torture for little reason. If there is something in a movie, then it should be important to the flow of the story. Actions push the story forward, so if a cat gets murdered, it should be important to the story's progression. This is hardly ever the case. In Mindhunters a cat was hung for no apparent reason. In Willard a cat was not only devoured by a fleet of rats, but it was tortured and chased for a five-minute long scene before eventually dying. A dog in the same movie just was bitten and then set free. There is no reason to film a cat's death besides realizing some perverse fantasy. And I think we have reached the point in film where if you want to see a cat die, there are dozens of movies you can watch instead of filming a new one.
Also, I saw a new movie, The Bank Job. It stars my favorite actor Jason Statham and some other people. It's about a bank heist that takes place in 70s Britain, and it is based on a true story. The story isn't bad. It had twists and turns, and it had many different stories that all wound up tying together. The thing is that, the characters just weren't interesting. That's the one downfall of the movie. Everything else is fine, but the characters aren't compelling. This leads to the movie being moderately boring. It isn't bad, but it just isn't interesting. Instead, go rent Snatch. You'll be happier.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Second Post
Good morning. This is my second actual post, and I'm on schedule. The first last Sunday, and now this one today. What's next? Will I manage to post next week? Well, we'll just have to wait and see.
I have been playing Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. I am a whopping one mission further than I was last week after a dozen of failed attempts. And now, I don't think I can complete the game. The game has screwed me so much, I think I am stuck. Ike, arguably the main character, has to fight an enemy called The Black Knight one on one. Apparently I haven't leveled Ike up enough, so he does hardly any damage (one damage point, to be exact) to the Black Knight when he attacks. And if I can't kill the Black Knight, then I cannot beat the mission. So, I am stuck.
On a more cheerful note, I have also been playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl and I have been getting better at it. I was pretty good at the predecessor, Melee, but the physics for this game is different. Not worlds different, but different enough to screw me up. However, with some practice I have gotten better. The characters I have chosen for my team (spoilers warning) are Kirby, Pikachu, Diddy Kong, Snake, and Robot. I like Kirby for his jumps and aerials; Pikachu for his speed and smash attacks; Diddy Kong for his unique fighting style; Snake for his ability to control the stage; and Robot for his special moves. I think I'll eventually be able to take on anybody.
I watched a new game show Amnesia recently. It is ok. It is better than Pick-A-Box (Deal or No Deal) and Racial Stereotypes (Identity), which are the two last game shows I gave a chance. Dennis Miller hosts the show, and the premise is the contestant has to answer questions about their past. For example, a guy who was a high school cheerleader had to answer what was his high school quarterback's jersey number. A decent premise for a show, but I don't know. The show is still trying to find its groove. I'll give it a couple of more chances. I've only seen two episodes so far.
I have seen a few movies. First I saw a movie called Chinatown. It's a film from the 70s and it stars Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. Nicholson plays a detective who investigates the death of an engineer. There's more, of course, but I don't like spoiling things. I love young Nicholson. In this movie he plays a smartass and I've never seen him funnier. The plot and writing for the movie are both good, with one of the most famous twists in film history coming near the end. And the acting, as I kind of touched on, is amazing. I strongly recommend this movie.
I also saw a movie called Sunshine. It stars Chris Evans and Cillian Murphy. It is about a group of scientists and astronauts in the future who live on an Earth with a dying sun, and they are on a mission to deliver a bomb to the sun in order to create a new sun. This was a pretty good movie. It started out as an exploration type film, but past the halfway mark it became more of a thriller. It was a neat turn, and I liked it. Also, I'm a sci-fi nerd, so it was hard for me not to like it, at least somewhat. The acting is really great. None of the characters are too amazing in themselves, but the actors do a good job portraying them, and make me care for the characters. I would like to personally congratulate Chris Evans and Cliff Curtis on their jobs. I like Curtis in what I've seen him in. He usually plays a kind of badass, or at least a no-nonsense kind of guy, and he shows a lot of humanity in this role. I am congratulating Evans because, honestly, I didn't know he could act so well. I mean, his acting highlights so far are the Fantastic Four movies and Cellular. Also, for those of you interested, it was directed by the same guy who did 28 Days Later.
The third movie I watched was The Chumscrubber. In a film class I took, I heard a fellow student recommend this movie to the instructor. "It's a lot like American Beauty," he said. The movie has been in my mind ever since because I would consider American Beauty to be an exceptional film. After watching Jumper, my friend mentioned to me Jamie Bell was the main character in The Chumscrubber, which she owned on DVD. My ears perked up and I asked if I could borrow it. She agreed and I watched it immediately. It was a roaring disappointment. This is about a bunch of rich, white people whose only real problem in life is that they have become too rich and have grown complacent in their lives. Jamie Bell and his girlfriend in the film are the only two people worth watching. I was just screaming at my TV when anybody else spoke. The acting is ok, I guess. My problems come with the story/writing and the directing. You could tell the director just got done watching American Beauty and tried to recreate it with his own touches. If he had left out his personal elements, it would have been a subpar ripoff of American Beauty, which might have made it better. However, he put in his own touches, such as the Cumscrubber video game ads, and just made it a terrible film. I contemplated breaking my friend's DVD, but that would be mean. Instead, I'm just going to throw it at her face when I see her again.
That covers my week in dealing with media. Hopefully I have better news next time we talk.
I have been playing Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. I am a whopping one mission further than I was last week after a dozen of failed attempts. And now, I don't think I can complete the game. The game has screwed me so much, I think I am stuck. Ike, arguably the main character, has to fight an enemy called The Black Knight one on one. Apparently I haven't leveled Ike up enough, so he does hardly any damage (one damage point, to be exact) to the Black Knight when he attacks. And if I can't kill the Black Knight, then I cannot beat the mission. So, I am stuck.
On a more cheerful note, I have also been playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl and I have been getting better at it. I was pretty good at the predecessor, Melee, but the physics for this game is different. Not worlds different, but different enough to screw me up. However, with some practice I have gotten better. The characters I have chosen for my team (spoilers warning) are Kirby, Pikachu, Diddy Kong, Snake, and Robot. I like Kirby for his jumps and aerials; Pikachu for his speed and smash attacks; Diddy Kong for his unique fighting style; Snake for his ability to control the stage; and Robot for his special moves. I think I'll eventually be able to take on anybody.
I watched a new game show Amnesia recently. It is ok. It is better than Pick-A-Box (Deal or No Deal) and Racial Stereotypes (Identity), which are the two last game shows I gave a chance. Dennis Miller hosts the show, and the premise is the contestant has to answer questions about their past. For example, a guy who was a high school cheerleader had to answer what was his high school quarterback's jersey number. A decent premise for a show, but I don't know. The show is still trying to find its groove. I'll give it a couple of more chances. I've only seen two episodes so far.
I have seen a few movies. First I saw a movie called Chinatown. It's a film from the 70s and it stars Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. Nicholson plays a detective who investigates the death of an engineer. There's more, of course, but I don't like spoiling things. I love young Nicholson. In this movie he plays a smartass and I've never seen him funnier. The plot and writing for the movie are both good, with one of the most famous twists in film history coming near the end. And the acting, as I kind of touched on, is amazing. I strongly recommend this movie.
I also saw a movie called Sunshine. It stars Chris Evans and Cillian Murphy. It is about a group of scientists and astronauts in the future who live on an Earth with a dying sun, and they are on a mission to deliver a bomb to the sun in order to create a new sun. This was a pretty good movie. It started out as an exploration type film, but past the halfway mark it became more of a thriller. It was a neat turn, and I liked it. Also, I'm a sci-fi nerd, so it was hard for me not to like it, at least somewhat. The acting is really great. None of the characters are too amazing in themselves, but the actors do a good job portraying them, and make me care for the characters. I would like to personally congratulate Chris Evans and Cliff Curtis on their jobs. I like Curtis in what I've seen him in. He usually plays a kind of badass, or at least a no-nonsense kind of guy, and he shows a lot of humanity in this role. I am congratulating Evans because, honestly, I didn't know he could act so well. I mean, his acting highlights so far are the Fantastic Four movies and Cellular. Also, for those of you interested, it was directed by the same guy who did 28 Days Later.
The third movie I watched was The Chumscrubber. In a film class I took, I heard a fellow student recommend this movie to the instructor. "It's a lot like American Beauty," he said. The movie has been in my mind ever since because I would consider American Beauty to be an exceptional film. After watching Jumper, my friend mentioned to me Jamie Bell was the main character in The Chumscrubber, which she owned on DVD. My ears perked up and I asked if I could borrow it. She agreed and I watched it immediately. It was a roaring disappointment. This is about a bunch of rich, white people whose only real problem in life is that they have become too rich and have grown complacent in their lives. Jamie Bell and his girlfriend in the film are the only two people worth watching. I was just screaming at my TV when anybody else spoke. The acting is ok, I guess. My problems come with the story/writing and the directing. You could tell the director just got done watching American Beauty and tried to recreate it with his own touches. If he had left out his personal elements, it would have been a subpar ripoff of American Beauty, which might have made it better. However, he put in his own touches, such as the Cumscrubber video game ads, and just made it a terrible film. I contemplated breaking my friend's DVD, but that would be mean. Instead, I'm just going to throw it at her face when I see her again.
That covers my week in dealing with media. Hopefully I have better news next time we talk.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The First Update
When I decided to create this blog, I had the intentions of discussing my thoughts about the media. However, I neglected to remember something: I am a college student. As such, I do not have all of the time in the world to research my extracurricular thoughts. I do feel as though I owe it to myself, and potentially the rest of the world, to put something on this page. So, I have decided that if all else fails I will update every Sunday with whatever kind of review I can give, whether it be movie, book, video game, or any other facet of the media. Hopefully it is still entertaining.
I rented two movies during the week: a crime thriller entitled Chaos, and a dramatic thriller from South Korea called Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance.
Chaos stars Wesley Snipes, Jason Statham, and Ryan Phillipe. It's about two detectives (Statham and Phillipe) trying to track down a bank robber (Snipes). That is a very vague and bland synopsis, but I don't want to spend the entire post retelling the story. Odds are I said everything necessary for you to know if you are interested in the movie or not. Another thing that should be mentioned about Chaos is it was a straight to DVD release. I'm normally nervous about movies released in such a way, but, as you will discover, I am in love with Jason Statham. I will watch anything with him in it, even his new Uwe Boll movie In the Name of the King.
Even though it was straight to DVD, Chaos isn't bad. It doesn't define or remake the genre, but it is a solid movie. The acting is fine, with the exception of some minor characters. Wesley Snipes does what he does best, which is talk trash and kick butt. Statham is tough as ever. Phillipe is kind of bland, but that's because his character is kind of bland. Can't blame the actor the the writer's problem. The plot has a few twists and turns, some of which I honestly didn't see coming. This is another reason as to why I didn't go too deep into the synopsis. That's about all I can comment on. This isn't a piece of fine art. There isn't subtext I can read and analyze. It's a fun movie, and if you like the crime thriller/action genre, then give it a shot if you're bored.
Now, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, that movie you can read and analyze. The plot revolves around a deaf and mute man who lives with and is taken care of by his sister. His sister has kidney problems that could lead to her death, so the brother tries to find a way to save her. Once again, I don't want to spoil anything, so this is as far into the literal plot as I'll get. Oh, and I should also disclose this is the first part of a thematic trilogy directed by Park Chan-wook. The second part of the trilogy, Oldboy, is quite possibly my favorite movie. So, needless to say, I may be biased.
The acting is amazing in this movie. I would say the deaf and mute guy and the owner of an electronics company stand out the most because they are the main characters, but every supporting actor and actress is amazing as well. The story, if you like deep stories, is great. It's like Thanksgiving dinner with how rich and fulfilling it is. The movie takes two different narratives, that of the deaf and mute guy and the electronics company president. The two narratives butt heads and clash with each other and it leaves you not knowing who is the good guy. The story is very depressing and moderately graphic, though, so if you can't handle that sort of thing, be aware.
The subtext of the movie is intricate and deep. I like the moral relativity the film expresses. The characters do things that are bad, but the film never makes them out to be bad guys. In both stories, the protagonists are just doing what they feel is right, and because Chan-wook wants you to, you sympathize with them. However, it doesn't change the fact the heroes are doing very un-heroic things. Also, the recurring theme of the trilogy is vengeance and retaliation won't make you happy. Both of the protagonists have been wronged in the film, and they both get revenge. Neither of them end up happy in the end, though. They actually end up worse than they were in the beginning, but I promise no spoilers. Obtaining vengeance will kill you though, either physically or spiritually. It's very Buddhist or Taoist, which reminds me....
I finished reading the Tao Te Ching this week. I went through a period where I wanted to find my spiritual side and I narrowed down the religions I was interested in to just a handful. Taoism was the one I was most interested in, so I picked up the main text, the Tao Te Ching. It's very poetic, and, to be honest, is hard to decipher so of what the author is saying. However, there are notes to help explain some of what is said. Also, me being moderately intelligent helped a lot, too. I plan on reading it again. And again. And again. As many times as it takes for me to understand everything in it. I'm really going to devote myself to this.
I started reading Walden by Henry David Thoreau, and then promptly stopped. Maybe it's just not what I'm looking for right now, but it was nearly unreadable when I tried. Thoreau's other famous essay, Civil Disobedience, is included in the book I bought, and I tried reading it as well. However, the attempt ended with the same outcome. Thoreau writes too flowery, at least for my state of mind right now. There's always hope for the future, though.
I am also reading The Audacity of Hope by Barak Obama. He, presuming Obama is the actual author, is an amazing author. He has a way with words and coming up with the perfect anecdotes for each chapter. It's is just fun to read. However, he is a democrat, and a liberal one at that, so if you lean to the right, then you may not enjoy it.
Music is something I probably won't touch too often. I recently purchased Spoon's album Ga ga ga ga. I bought it primarily for one song (The Underdog), but I can say I honestly like about half of the songs. I won't decipher the meanings to each song because frankly I don't care about music as much as other things, but I will tell you the CD is fun to listen to. If you like Indie rock, then give it a shot.
I watched some television this week, as well. I saw the finale of the rebirth of American Gladiators. That show is trash, but it is entertaining. It should be known I watched the entire season, not just the finale. I will admit I was upset because my guy (Reverend Andy) didn't make it to the finals, but the lady I liked won (the house wife). Her husband is, in my mind, the luckiest man in the world. I also have been watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles since it debuted. This show isn't great, but I am a terminator nerd. And, to be honest, it has been getting better. Not this week's episode, though. It was two-thirds flashback of some character I don't care about, but the last couple of episodes have been decently entertaining. Plus, it's hard for me to refuse Summer Glau.
As for the world of video games, my time is divided between three contenders. First is Luminous Arc for the DS. It's a tactical RPG and it's fun. I love the genre, and a lot of people don't, so it is easy for me to like it. The story is essentially about witches who are trying to save the world, but there's more to it. I'm not being skimpy with details purely because I'm lazy, but to discuss the story of any RPG would take a great length of time to do, not to mention a bucket full of spoilers. It is fun though, and the writing for it is amazing. An RPG never made me laugh so hard.
I have also been playing Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. And let me say this, fuck that game. I will try to keep my posts PG-13 as much as possible, but fuck that game. Fuck it. Fire Emblem is a franchise of Tactical RPGs and the one I'm playing is the newest iteration for the Wii. There is a tradition in the games that if a character dies, then it stays dead forever. I don't like my people dying and staying dead, so when a soldier dies, I restart the game from my last save file. For the game's predecessor, Path of Radiance for the GameCube, this wasn't too big of a deal. But for Radiant Dawn it is grueling. My save file says I have 55 hours logged into the game, but in reality it is at least 100. Probably more. I am almost finished with it, though, so I might as well press on.
Lastly, but not least, I have been playing the Japanese version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. It's a lot of fun, the characters are great, the options are many, the adventure mode is deep and compelling. It is just a great game. I can't wait until I can play it in English.
Do I really consume this much media in a week? Man, Sundays just got a lot harder. Oh well. See you next week, and maybe I'll have something extra on Wednesday.
I rented two movies during the week: a crime thriller entitled Chaos, and a dramatic thriller from South Korea called Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance.
Chaos stars Wesley Snipes, Jason Statham, and Ryan Phillipe. It's about two detectives (Statham and Phillipe) trying to track down a bank robber (Snipes). That is a very vague and bland synopsis, but I don't want to spend the entire post retelling the story. Odds are I said everything necessary for you to know if you are interested in the movie or not. Another thing that should be mentioned about Chaos is it was a straight to DVD release. I'm normally nervous about movies released in such a way, but, as you will discover, I am in love with Jason Statham. I will watch anything with him in it, even his new Uwe Boll movie In the Name of the King.
Even though it was straight to DVD, Chaos isn't bad. It doesn't define or remake the genre, but it is a solid movie. The acting is fine, with the exception of some minor characters. Wesley Snipes does what he does best, which is talk trash and kick butt. Statham is tough as ever. Phillipe is kind of bland, but that's because his character is kind of bland. Can't blame the actor the the writer's problem. The plot has a few twists and turns, some of which I honestly didn't see coming. This is another reason as to why I didn't go too deep into the synopsis. That's about all I can comment on. This isn't a piece of fine art. There isn't subtext I can read and analyze. It's a fun movie, and if you like the crime thriller/action genre, then give it a shot if you're bored.
Now, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, that movie you can read and analyze. The plot revolves around a deaf and mute man who lives with and is taken care of by his sister. His sister has kidney problems that could lead to her death, so the brother tries to find a way to save her. Once again, I don't want to spoil anything, so this is as far into the literal plot as I'll get. Oh, and I should also disclose this is the first part of a thematic trilogy directed by Park Chan-wook. The second part of the trilogy, Oldboy, is quite possibly my favorite movie. So, needless to say, I may be biased.
The acting is amazing in this movie. I would say the deaf and mute guy and the owner of an electronics company stand out the most because they are the main characters, but every supporting actor and actress is amazing as well. The story, if you like deep stories, is great. It's like Thanksgiving dinner with how rich and fulfilling it is. The movie takes two different narratives, that of the deaf and mute guy and the electronics company president. The two narratives butt heads and clash with each other and it leaves you not knowing who is the good guy. The story is very depressing and moderately graphic, though, so if you can't handle that sort of thing, be aware.
The subtext of the movie is intricate and deep. I like the moral relativity the film expresses. The characters do things that are bad, but the film never makes them out to be bad guys. In both stories, the protagonists are just doing what they feel is right, and because Chan-wook wants you to, you sympathize with them. However, it doesn't change the fact the heroes are doing very un-heroic things. Also, the recurring theme of the trilogy is vengeance and retaliation won't make you happy. Both of the protagonists have been wronged in the film, and they both get revenge. Neither of them end up happy in the end, though. They actually end up worse than they were in the beginning, but I promise no spoilers. Obtaining vengeance will kill you though, either physically or spiritually. It's very Buddhist or Taoist, which reminds me....
I finished reading the Tao Te Ching this week. I went through a period where I wanted to find my spiritual side and I narrowed down the religions I was interested in to just a handful. Taoism was the one I was most interested in, so I picked up the main text, the Tao Te Ching. It's very poetic, and, to be honest, is hard to decipher so of what the author is saying. However, there are notes to help explain some of what is said. Also, me being moderately intelligent helped a lot, too. I plan on reading it again. And again. And again. As many times as it takes for me to understand everything in it. I'm really going to devote myself to this.
I started reading Walden by Henry David Thoreau, and then promptly stopped. Maybe it's just not what I'm looking for right now, but it was nearly unreadable when I tried. Thoreau's other famous essay, Civil Disobedience, is included in the book I bought, and I tried reading it as well. However, the attempt ended with the same outcome. Thoreau writes too flowery, at least for my state of mind right now. There's always hope for the future, though.
I am also reading The Audacity of Hope by Barak Obama. He, presuming Obama is the actual author, is an amazing author. He has a way with words and coming up with the perfect anecdotes for each chapter. It's is just fun to read. However, he is a democrat, and a liberal one at that, so if you lean to the right, then you may not enjoy it.
Music is something I probably won't touch too often. I recently purchased Spoon's album Ga ga ga ga. I bought it primarily for one song (The Underdog), but I can say I honestly like about half of the songs. I won't decipher the meanings to each song because frankly I don't care about music as much as other things, but I will tell you the CD is fun to listen to. If you like Indie rock, then give it a shot.
I watched some television this week, as well. I saw the finale of the rebirth of American Gladiators. That show is trash, but it is entertaining. It should be known I watched the entire season, not just the finale. I will admit I was upset because my guy (Reverend Andy) didn't make it to the finals, but the lady I liked won (the house wife). Her husband is, in my mind, the luckiest man in the world. I also have been watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles since it debuted. This show isn't great, but I am a terminator nerd. And, to be honest, it has been getting better. Not this week's episode, though. It was two-thirds flashback of some character I don't care about, but the last couple of episodes have been decently entertaining. Plus, it's hard for me to refuse Summer Glau.
As for the world of video games, my time is divided between three contenders. First is Luminous Arc for the DS. It's a tactical RPG and it's fun. I love the genre, and a lot of people don't, so it is easy for me to like it. The story is essentially about witches who are trying to save the world, but there's more to it. I'm not being skimpy with details purely because I'm lazy, but to discuss the story of any RPG would take a great length of time to do, not to mention a bucket full of spoilers. It is fun though, and the writing for it is amazing. An RPG never made me laugh so hard.
I have also been playing Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. And let me say this, fuck that game. I will try to keep my posts PG-13 as much as possible, but fuck that game. Fuck it. Fire Emblem is a franchise of Tactical RPGs and the one I'm playing is the newest iteration for the Wii. There is a tradition in the games that if a character dies, then it stays dead forever. I don't like my people dying and staying dead, so when a soldier dies, I restart the game from my last save file. For the game's predecessor, Path of Radiance for the GameCube, this wasn't too big of a deal. But for Radiant Dawn it is grueling. My save file says I have 55 hours logged into the game, but in reality it is at least 100. Probably more. I am almost finished with it, though, so I might as well press on.
Lastly, but not least, I have been playing the Japanese version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. It's a lot of fun, the characters are great, the options are many, the adventure mode is deep and compelling. It is just a great game. I can't wait until I can play it in English.
Do I really consume this much media in a week? Man, Sundays just got a lot harder. Oh well. See you next week, and maybe I'll have something extra on Wednesday.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Introduction
Hello. My name is Jeffrey Chinn. I was born and raised in Sacramento, CA. I am a student at CSUS and am studying journalism with a minor in film.
I have a special place in my heart for different forms of media. I love them all from books to television to video games to film. Media has a lot of power, and it has always been something I've been interested in.
I am creating this blog for two purposes. First, to vent any feelings, positive or negative, towards a certain medium. I have many opinions on many subjects, and I believe this blog is the best way for me to express myself. Secondly, I am creating this blog for a platform of discussion. I do have many opinions, but that's all they are. I am interested in hearing what others think, as well.
My first actual post will be up soon. I have a lot to say and I can't wait to get to it.
I have a special place in my heart for different forms of media. I love them all from books to television to video games to film. Media has a lot of power, and it has always been something I've been interested in.
I am creating this blog for two purposes. First, to vent any feelings, positive or negative, towards a certain medium. I have many opinions on many subjects, and I believe this blog is the best way for me to express myself. Secondly, I am creating this blog for a platform of discussion. I do have many opinions, but that's all they are. I am interested in hearing what others think, as well.
My first actual post will be up soon. I have a lot to say and I can't wait to get to it.
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