Three-Movie Weekend

From the archive of unfinished posts:

The Wrath of the Titans, directed by Jonathon Liebesman and starring Sam Worthington, was, I think, actually better than its predecessor. Clash of the Titans was decent, in a b-movie kind of way, but it had one problem: it tried to tell the story of a classic myth and failed to do so. Wrath broke with every mythic convention I can name, and was better for it. Because it hardly acknowledged myth, it didn't really have expectations to fill. I'd watch it again.

The Raven was shockingly well done. When I first saw the trailer, all I could think about was how badly this movie wanted to be Sherlock Holmes, but it turned out to be more than that. Cusack played a shockingly convincing Poe, the circumstances/traps were appropriately squirm-worthy and awful, and the mystery was downright decent. I would be willing to own this movie.

The thing you've got to understand is that The Three Musketeers is ridiculous, hands down. The Musketeers are primarily in tight leather, one of them is practically a ninja, they uncover DaVinci plans for steampunk airships and build them, and Orlando Bloom has a pompadour. In summation? It's awesome. One for all and all for one!

Cheers!

Howdy!

It's been a while! In light of the fact, this might seem a bit more like a ramble than anything else. Or maybe a list. I'm not really sure.

Had the wonderful opportunity to see both The Santaland Diaries at Portland Center Stage and The Dimes at the Kennedy School. Both were fun, but The Dimes were phenomenal. If you haven't checked them out yet, shame on you. Go do so. However, the adventures for today were:

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

EXCELLENT. I was far more impressed with this film than I expected to be. Not to say that I had any doubt it'd be decent, only that I can't honestly say which film could be called "better," even with the first having the advantage of being, well, first. Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. give a grand show as expected, and the addition of the lovely Noomi Rapace as Madam Simza and the excellent Stephen Fry as Mycroft worked wonders. However, Jared Harris as the supremely chilling Professor James Moriarty must, inevitably, take the cake.

While diehard Conan Doyle fans will take issue with some of the choices, I think they are inevitably justified by the structure of the Holmes Adventures in the first place: they are only episodes. Yes, we are told that Sherlock goes away to become a beekeeper somewhere for his retirement, but that doesn't mean we are privy to every case - each story is open ended. That isn't to say that anything goes, necessarily, but this film has many nice touches, including the preservation of that openness which characterizes the serialized adventures. So, diehard or not, please go see this film. It's absolutely lovely.

Check it out on IMBd.

And

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

THIS GAME. IS SO GOOD.
It is the reason I am currently unable to sleep.
In retrospect, I have no idea why I didn't think of blogging a Skyward Sword diary. It would have been so much fun! And caused me to be even more sleep deprived than I already am, but whatever. In interest of not spoiling it for anyone, watch out for warnings.

First of all, the controls are great. Yes, the wiimote doesn't always respond correctly, but that's to be expected, really, especially when you're swinging it wildly, shouting "NO, HORIZONTAL SLASH, YOU--" etc. etc. Other than this slight (but predictable) setback, the only control issue is that the wiimote/nunchuck combination required drains batteries extremely quickly. Get thee some rechargables or Zelda fans will destroy the environment all by themselves!!

Gameplay is great. Everything about it that I was reluctant about - stamina gauge and upgrades, mostly - have been incorporated smoothly. Even the upgrade system (which normally makes me shudder under the brunt of never-ending RPG that usually goes with said function) is fantastic. The only mechanic which could have been improved was the controls for the musical instrument. There are no Ocarina-style command patterns needed, the game just identifies which song you've learned that goes with the location you're in and, essentially, plays it for you. A slight setback, in light of the rest of the game, but a bit of a let-down, nonetheless.

The story is great. After all, it is a prequel to the ENTIRE series, so I expected they'd have to come up with something good. There are plenty of little things (and big things!) to make long-time Zelda fans drop their jaws or throw up their hands in combined frustration and elation. This is coupled with a non-stereotypical Zelda main villain with a flair for the theatrical: the diamond theme was a nice touch in light of that. (SPOILER: A villain who, I hear through the grapevine, doesn't turn into a raging psychopath at the end, like Zant did.)

But the best is possibly the ART. This game is gorgeous and I can't even do it justice. So here. Have some concept paintings. (WARNING: snarky captions might be considered spoilers by some parties.)

Epona?! What happened to you?

I swear, if you tongue my ear one more time...

All in all? This game is completely addictive. Not recommended for young children or pregnant women.

Also, for those of you who have played/are working on it: the trials. Isn't it appropriate that the things you have to find in the Silent Realms are called "tears"? After all, when you're playing those parts you're CRYING THE WHOLE TIME.

But, massive time-challenge stress aside, this is a great game. If you want to check out official stuff, take a look at the website.

That's all for now, folks - I've got to get back to saving the world.

Sherlock

in his newest incarnation, from the British Broadcasting Corporation!

It's basically excellent. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are my heroes.

I have done far too much writing tonight: go see for yourself on Netflix instant watch or any other preferred medium.

Sherlock on IMDb!

Sherlock's Interactive Blog, The Science of Deduction!
Watson's Interactive and Eponymously titled Blog!

Toy Story 3

I don't even really know what to say about this film. It was beautiful and heart-wrenchingly sad like a Pixar movie ought to be, and I cried in the theatre, just like I ought to.

I am going to refrain from discussing any details because I absolutely refuse to spoil any of this movie for anyone, so sorry, but this will be incredibly brief and potentially even sparse.

(It helps that it's been a few days between when I saw it and when I wrote this entry. Apologies.)

I think the only issue I had in any sense with the film or its presentation was this: that it was only available in 3D. I mean really. I don't understand the appeal. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on it, because it just doesn't do anything for me. Not for Avatar, not for Alice in Wonderland, and certainly not for this. For me, a movie experience is enhanced by a large screen, good sound, and being able to share it with people I care about, the latter being the most essential. And, while I'm at home, the people I most readily share movies with are my parents: 3D gives my mom headaches and my dad simply can't see 3D films, so in the end it hinders far more than enhances.

But, a la Casanova, I have too long dominated the conversation; what are your thoughts on the matter?

Dante's Inferno

Animatrix-style.

So there's this videogame of Dante's Inferno being released. You know the one. So they made a promotional movie out of the plot of the game, Animatrix-style.

Now when I say that, I mean that it's animated and switches styles at various times, lending a wide range of aesthetics and feelings to the piece as a whole. Oh, did I mention it's fabulous?

Or at least, if you're in the mood for dark, gory, terrifying animation that occasionally looks ridiculous and occasionally looks about ready to come out of the screen and eat you alive (cue demon babies and succubi, please). It recalls the style of every (good) dark vampire or goth-drama manga or anime I can think of, especially Hellsing.

I do have a quip or two with this piece, however. The first of these is Beatrice. She is, clearly, a devout and good soul in context of the story. That's the entire point, that she is a soul meant for Heaven. If this is the case, then why, for goodness' sake, does it make sense for her to strike a deal with the devil for her soul? And over Dante's faithfulness, no less? Also, doesn't just that simple act - a wager with Satan - taint her soul in the first place? It's a wholly counterintuitive plotbunny. I suppose the reason it bothers me so much is that it's so blatantly a plotbunny. There was no effort to mask the thought process of "So we need to get him to go into Hell to save Beatrice. Why is she there? She....struck a deal with the devil! That's it!" [insert sarcasm and eye-roll here]

On another note, overall I love the animation. There is only one style I have to unavoidably question. Everything about it was great, except for the title character. His face was entirely incongruous with the rest of his body. He was animated to be hugely buff, but he had giant anime eyes. I was immediately reminded of the quite unique style of Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac, except on steroids. I mean really. Who thought that one up? Other than that the character design was almost flawless. My personal favorite will always be the one which reminded me of Hellsing the most: a thin but clearly monstrously strong Dante with long hair. That segment was full of my approval. I was remarkably sad to see it go.

And finally, the finale. In other words, the ending. There wasn't one. It would have been different if one of four things happened: i) Dante was unable to escape hell, ii) Dante went to heaven, iii) Dante directly stated he was condemned to a kind of outside-of-hell purgatory, or iv) if Dante bid farewell to Beatrice. None of these happened. There was no closure of any kind and while I am all for open-ended conclusions to stories for the sake of feeding the imagination of the viewer, they have to be well executed. This, really, was the thing that annoyed me the most. All of the options I listed left room for a second game/movie/story arc just fine if that was the angle the writers were going for. The difference is that mine aren't drowning in obscurity.

All the same, the animation for the creatures and fights is spectacular. It's gut-wrenching, it's visually appealing, and it certainly makes me pine desperately for an Xbox. So if you're a videogame or Hellsing fan, check this out. It's a jolly good romp through the circles of hell.

Here's a trailer, to appease the curious. Enjoy, and seriously, watch out for those demon babies.

Alice in Wonderland

Thank goodness for Alice.

I thought it was quite the clever re-imagining. Mia Wasikowska did a stunning job of it. She maintained that sort of whimsical naiveté that recalls the original Alice - young Alice - and maintained it convincingly. And, of course, Johnny Depp was a perfectly Mad Hatter. His performance even brought something new to the role: a certain resemblance to split personality disorder. (Apologies if this is alluded to in the novel. Yet again I deserve to be covered in tomato etcetera for the fact that I have not yet read it.) My opinion of him stays very high.

Moving on, the visual effects were wonderful. Even if Crispin Glover's animated body was consistently unnerving, it was more than made up for by the Bandersnatch with his shark-style double rows of teeth. And of course the Jabberwock. On the subject of the Jabberwock, does anyone know the difference between 'Jabberwocky' and 'Jabberwock'? There's a flair button on facebook which asserts the former is plural and the latter singular. Personally I was always simply confused by the whole thing. I'd only be more so if Jabberwocky is plural - I always thought there was only one of said beast. Oh well.

For this production I simply must touch on the costuming. Alice's outfits get progressively more interesting as the movie goes on, ending of course with armor complete with vorpal sword. I love movies that put heroines in full armor. It made me remember Elizabeth: The Golden Age. There's something very triumphant and poetic about ladies in armor. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I hope to see it more often.

In short my assessment is that Alice in Wonderland is a film with an all-star cast, impressive visuals (in both two and three dimensions), and admirable costuming: in my book, a success. But before I depart, ladies and gentlemen, how is a Raven like a Writing Desk? I'm sure I don't know. I suppose we'll have to wait and see if the Hatter wakes up from his perpetual quicksilver-induced daze enough to tell us one day.

The Call of Cthulhu: Horror Roleplaying in the Worlds of HP Lovecraft

Rather than cap off the quarter with another novel, my teacher chose instead to subject us to the horror of Cthulhu: oh was I was grateful for it.

The Call of Cthulhu: Horror Roleplaying in the Worlds of HP Lovecraft is unlike most tabletop RPGs, or so it's reputed to be (I haven't played many). It's based entirely around intellectual games - gathering evidence and getting closer and closer to solving a mystery rather than monsterwhacking. Not to say there's a total lack of monsterwhacking, it's just that in this game you typically run your ass off upon such an encounter rather than standing to fight. Take our game for example. There is no way under the deep blue heavens we would have been able to fight Yig and live. In fact, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the fact that in this game, an investigator (player) cannot "win." Instead, you have three options. One is to get out while you have the chance until forces beyond the stars come to confront you another day. Another is to go irrevocably insane and be institutionalized. The last is to die.

On that note, I think the most intriguing innovation of Call of Cthulhu is the concept of sanity points. Upon encountering disturbing things, if the Keeper (dungeon master) calls a sanity check and you fail, you start losing sanity points. If you lose enough of these suckers within a certain amount of time - or collectively - you end up doing things like going into catatonia, logorrhea, displaying "strange eating compulsions" (cannibalism, dirt, slime, whathave you), or displaying "strange sexual impulses" (exhibitionism, nymphomania/satyriasis, etc) just to name a few. For those of you who have played tabletop RPGs, there's a table for this. If there's no logical choice (or just for the sake of it) the keeper can have you roll a D10 for it. It's painful.

On an entirely different note, as of yet I think one of the most pleasant parts of tabletop roleplaying is character creation: you get to decide on so many aspects of your character - there's so much room for creativity! From home town to occupation to income to possessions, it's all there. After a little influence from the dice, the rest is up to the creator. Actually sending said character out into their little world can be problematic, because at that point it's out of your hands entirely and in those of the Keeper. A good Keeper is absolutely essential. I haven't yet tried to be a Keeper, but I can see it's a lot of work. For those of you out there who are, I salute you.

My first game experience with Call of Cthulhu was rough at best. However, there is hope: I'll be playing another game with a couple of friends soon, and hopefully it will be a little easier to move in. Until then, venture on, ladies and gentlemen.

Backlog: Sherlock Holmes

After I saw Sherlock Holmes in theatres I was rendered completely speechless. I have an affinity and deep love for the English language, especially in regards to its earlier, more elegant forms, and this film took away my ability to form complete sentences. As a friend of mine told me laughingly: "It stole it all from you!"

You can probably guess where this review is going.

I loved it. I can't wait to see it again. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law made the best leading men I've seen in a long time, and both of them gave wonderful performances. However, the crowning jewel of the film was most certainly its wit. The writing was worshipful (if I didn't make that abundantly clear already). I think my favorite line currently is and will probably remain: "Holmes, you do realize what you've been drinking is intended for eye surgery." That, and of course "Capacity to spit on back of head: neutralized."

Now, I have a confession to make. Of all the Holmes adventures, I have only ever read The Hound of the Baskervilles.
You may now throw rotten vegetables at me.

Now that's over with and I am thoroughly coated in tomato, which I heartily deserve, may I go on to say that because of this shameful fact I can't really judge how much the film changes Watson and Holmes as far as their character dynamic goes. However, the (potentially) amped-up action as well as Holmes' wild eccentricity were entertaining. The former was impressive, the latter endearing.

It was visually stunning, as well, occasionally recalling true historical work and occasionally turning towards something fictionalized (cough, Steampunk, cough). Either way, it was quite the jolly good romp, and left blatantly open for a sequel, as well! I await it with baited breath.

Backlog: Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein continues to a good read. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite books, but it's very, very good.

In retrospect I think it was better the second time around.

What with all the mauling pop culture has done to dearest Victor Frankenstein and his Daemon, I find myself shocked to remember just how sophisticated the novel is. Then again, pop culture treatments of classics are usually not very good. (Except maybe some of the treatments of Jane Austin. But take Dracula, for example. Dracula becomes the wolfman and there's a sex scene...on the ceiling? In fact, I don't even know if that's the same treatment. That was one of the very few movies I have been completely unable to make myself watch all the way through. With the obsession I have with vampires and Dracula, this is most CERTAINLY an insult.)

My favorite aspect of the book is the Daemon himself, especially since he is one of the elements of the book which brings up the most questions, at least in my mind: questions about the definition of humanity, cruelty, the nature of revenge, and the nature of guilt.

I think I also liked Frankenstein because my interpretations and opinions on the characters completely evolved. They didn't change entirely, but they did indeed change. Maybe that's why the classics are called the classics after all: not because they are from another time, but because they change with the individual reader.

All abstractions aside, pick up Frankenstein.

And have your dictionary on hand.