Passage
Time for my monthly post, I suppose.
For anybody who checks regularly or has my new posts sent to them, fret not, I’ll try and post more. It’s just that lately, since I’ve been writing a blog for money, I don’t really want to sit down and write in this one. Plus, all I would talk about is how great Wall-E is (really, really great) and how pumped I am for The Dark Knight (really, really pumped) and there are about three thousand sites that do that already.
So while I ponder what I could write here that could possibly be of value and orginal, I’ll offer you this…
Passage is a quick little game. It’ll only take you five minutes to play. There’s more to it, though, than first meets the eye.
After you download and play it at the link above, go here to read a statment about the game from its creator.
In defense of Mr. Shyamalan
Expectation can be a real bitch.
How many films have been ruined for you because you set the bar too high? Maybe you couldn’t enjoy Indiana Jones 4 because it just wasn’t as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark or you thought A.I. should have been a lot better coming from a Spielberg/Kubrick tag team.
How many entertainment careers have imploded under the weight of expectation as well? Almost nobody involved with Star Wars was able to live up to the original trilogy (other than Harrison Ford, of course). Jim Carey just barely managed to make it in more serious films, but I’ll never be able to take Will Ferrell seriously (and I really like Stranger Than Fiction).
There are countless other, more sophisticated examples of this phenomenon, if you want to call it that. I bring it up only because M. Night Shyamalan’s career has become the quintessential example of being murdered by expectations and, with The Happening in theaters, it’s all coming to the surface again.
Everybody knows of The Sixth Sense by now. It was the sensation of 1999 with its genuinely creepy style and now famous twist ending. Immediately Shyamalan was a star and audiences wanted to know what else he had up his sleeves.
Fast forward a few years and a few movies later and we see the effects of expectation taking its toll. Shyamalan releases Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village using the same formula that audiences expected of him and getting diminishing critical returns with each film. The sensation of The Sixth Sense was now a memory to be parodied on “I see dead people” shirts in Hot Topic stores across the country.
M. Night (the M stands for Manoj if you were wondering) was determined to not fall into this rut forever so he made the fatally ambitious Lady in the Water. Ostensibly, Lady was a fairy tale adapted from a story the director told to his kids. On a more critical level, though, it was about the nature of storytelling and how it has evolved in the face of modern times.
Too bad that movie was a complete mess and came off as pretty arrogant. Killing off the movie critic? Casting himself as the writer who will change the world? I’m sure it remains close to the director’s heart and probably is the most spun Blu-Ray disc in the Shyamalan household, but I’ll pass, thank you.
Now we get The Happening. The previews promised a return to form for the director. In fact, it would be even better because this time, it’s gonna be R-rated, bitches! It seemed like it would be everything people who were disappointed in Lady wanted. There will be suspense. There will be danger. There will be blood.
What we actually see on screen is a poorly acted, poorly written, hammy B-movie that is so in your face with its environmentalist message, it’s insulting.
And that’s why I loved it.
You could say that excusing a movie of its shortcomings by saying it was bad ‘on-purpose’ is a copout, but I don’t know how to address the movie otherwise. Look at the previous work of the people involved. Shyamalan’s films have always been good at creating tension. Not so much here. Mark Wahlberg has been great in films like Boogie Nights and The Departed. In The Happening, he sounds like a high-school drama nerd.
Every bad movie rule is broken. Characters inexplicably saying what they are thinking (Wahlberg’s ‘scientific method’ freak out is a hilarious example), cheap scares (the old lady pointing at the camera), and the left-open-for-a-sequel ending. People are right to point out these flaws in the movie, but they are wrong to say that Shyamalan doesn’t know what he’s doing.
Another line I hear a lot is, “That movie was so terrible. People were actually laughing the whole time.” I bet Mike Myers would love to have that kind of ‘terrible’ reaction to The Love Guru. If you were laughing the whole time, how can you come out of the movie saying you didn’t enjoy it?
This film is a giant middle finger to expectations. It’s like Shyamalan is saying, “You wanted me to make another scary movie, huh? Well be careful what you wish for.” The marketing for the movie plays into this bravado perfectly. The tagline says, “We’ve Sensed it. We’ve Seen the Signs. Now….It’s Happening” meaning if you keep forcing him to make The Sixth Sense or Signs over and over again, this is what you are going to get.
About halfway through the film, the cast runs right past a billboard for a housing development and along the top of the advertisement it says, “You Deserve This!” This message was meant for me and anybody else that’s ever expected a movie to jump through the same predictable hoops and held it against the film when those expectations weren’t met.
I can’t think of a better person to deliver this message than Mr. Shyamalan.
2008 Summer Movie Preview…
Here are my most anticipated movies of the Summer (in release order)…
Son of Rambow – Limited Release (St. Louis May 16)
- Released last year in the UK, Son of Rambow is a movie about a couple of kids growing up in a strict religious household in the early 80’s. It is so strict that they aren’t allowed to watch movies of any kind until they sneak a viewing of Rambo: First Blood. Their minds are blown and they become inspired to create their own film and hilarity, no doubt, ensues. The film is written and directed by Garth Jennings, the man behind the recent Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy film adaptation, and he seems to be chummy with the guys who did Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, so I expect more of that brand of genre lampooning. Plus, I just like movies about average people having emotional responses to films (see Be Kind Rewind).
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – May 22
- The Indy movies are the stuff of childhood fantasies. What boy doesn’t want to grow up traveling around the world, evading booby traps, and chasing fortune and glory. I personally don’t remember a time without the Indiana Jones movies existing. They have always been there and have always been familiar, like a voice you heard in the womb. I would have gone to see this movie no matter what, but seeing Harrison Ford swinging around in the trailer just like the old days brought a powerful burst of nostalgia that I can’t really explain. My most anticipated movie of the year.
The Foot Fist Way – May 30
- I didn’t know much about this movie until reading some other summer movie previews. Apparently, up until a few months ago, nobody knew anything about this low budget film about an inept Tae Kwon Do instructor. It eventually made its way to Will Ferrell and the producers of Anchorman who loved it so much, they used their clout to get it studio support. An admirable production backstory and shades of The Office style humor make this film something to watch out for.
The Happening – June 13
-OK…Lady in the Water sucked. But before it was trendy to hate on M. Night Shyamalan, he delivered some pretty tense and entertaining thrillers. The Happening could be a return to form for the director who promises that this film will be his most gripping and suspenseful yet (and the R rating suggests he didn’t pull any punches this time around). Even if it bombs, it could mean the end of the Shyamalan hype so all you haters have something to look forward to as well.
WALL-E – June 27
-Pixar can really do no wrong. Every movie they make is a hit. Every movie they make is quirky and entertaining. Every movie they make pushes the CG animation envelope. Early indications are they’ve made their masterpiece with WALL-E. Not only does the sci-fi setting intrigue, but the fact that most of the movie features no dialog (only robotic bleeps and bloops) makes it worth seeing out of curiosity alone.
The Wackness – July 3
-Another smaller film that’s grabbing attention, The Wackness is about a kid named Luke Shapiro who trades his therapist (Ben Kingsley) weed for therapy sessions. I get a real Juno meets 1994 Brooklyn vibe from the trailer.
The Dark Knight – July 18
- How many reasons do you need to go see a film? The Dark Knight has about a million. Batman Begins was awesome and this year’s sequel promises more of the dark knight and less of the campy-colorful-Joel Schumacher-knight that we had in the 90’s. Heath Ledger’s Joker looks downright disturbing (and I’ve seen two people already calling for a posthumous Oscar for the performance). They even ditched Katie Holmes and upgraded to Maggie Gyllenhaal for the love interest. This is how comic book movies should be done.
Pineapple Express – August 8
- Judd Apatow has taken over the world. I’m not positive, but I think he’s been involved with every comedy released in the last 3 years. I wasn’t immediately won over by The 40 Year Old Virgin, but as I saw Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (my personal favorite), I gradually found my way into the Apatow Fan Club (member # 45,694,128). Pineapple Express looks like more of the same and that’s a very good thing. Bonus points for awesome trailer music.
Towelhead – August 15
- When Fox News and other conservative media says a movie is too controversial and needs to be banned, I find myself wanting to see it more and more. Towelhead (aka Nothing Is Private) is about an Arab-American 13 year old who finds herself as the sexual obsession of a white neighbor (Aaron Eckhardt). Alan Ball, the genius behind Six Feet Under and American Beauty, seems to have brought his trademark way of looking at social problems to this film and it promises to be both disturbing and darkly comedic.
Oh, stop it Glenn. You’re making me blush…
I think Glenn Beck just called me a loser.
Well, technically he didn’t call just me a loser, but people who blog and talk about video games are losers.
Of course, he also laughed off those wildfires in California because it was just “America Haters” losing their homes and he felt compelled to ask a Muslim senator if he was working for the enemy…
A Salute to Bacon
Homer: I’ll have the smiley face breakfast special. Uhh, but could you add a bacon nose? Plus bacon hair, bacon mustache, five o’clock shadow made of bacon bits and a bacon body.
Waitress: How about I just shove a pig down your throat?
(Homer looks excited)
Waitress: I was kidding.
Homer: Fine, but the bacon man lives in a bacon house!
Waitress: No he doesn’t!
“If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.“
– Sir Francis Bacon
A Post About Grand Theft Auto
Ok, I give in…GTA IV is good. Really good.
After making a post about how games don’t excite me anymore and how they aren’t keeping up with other media, here comes a brilliant beacon of violent and sexually explicit genius to cut though the fog. Grand Theft Auto 4 is one of the best games I’ve played in a loooong time…and I’m not even a third of the way through it yet.
You know the deal already. If you are reading this, you’ve probably at least seen a previous GTA game played before and know what you are getting into. I’ve dabbled in the series prior to this, but I never became the obsessed fan boy that was so commonly seen around my college dorm. Aside from the initial thrill of driving around and doling out mass amounts of destruction, the game never really hooked me. The characters were always cookie cutter stereotypes, the action got repetitive, and if you actually played the missions, you realized they were boring seek-and-finds that frustrated more than thrilled.
Most of that has changed with this new GTA experience. The most immediate improvement is the the work that has gone into making this version of Liberty City a real city. If you did nothing but walk around observing, you would see computer controlled characters going about their daily life. You would see garbage men making their rounds, cops busting criminals that aren’t you, fender benders on the highway and countless other mundane pictures of modern life made stunning by their realism in this created world.
The main characters are also given more humanity in this game. I can’t even remember the characters from the previous games…there was nothing to remember. GTA IV has characters that you actually like and care about. Niko, the character you control, isn’t a faceless criminal with no emotion. He’s just a regular guy caught up in the rat race of the American underground.
Which leads me to my next gushing accolade: GTA IV is also biting social commentary. Just listening to the in game radio stations proves this point. Many modern stereotypes are parodied from the constant “terror threat” warnings of the conservative talk radio station to the self indulgent tone of the NPR rip-off. But it goes deeper than simple parody. Many of the cut scenes paint a picture of a seedy world of crime created by the people in charge who claim they want to clean it up. Immigrants lured by the the American Dream are left to rot not far from the boats they came in on. Wars are declared by the rich and powerful, yet fought by the young and poor. Yeah, there is lots of violence portrayed in the game, but the characters portraying the violence don’t all come off as evil people. Most seem like average men and women hardened by an unfair system and losing at a game where the rules make it impossible to win.
What disturbs people about this series may not be the level of fictional violence portrayed, but the fact that actual problems that are much worse are being faced by real people every day. Maybe instead of blushing, scoffing and getting all in a tiff about a game, we as a society should address the real problems this game is based on.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go steal a helicopter so that me and my Rastafarian friend can head to the strip club in style.
GTA IV
Pros: Story, presentation and design are all top notch. You won’t be forgetting this game soon. The in-game music is especially fantastic.
Cons: Controls take a lot of time to get used to. Driving is harder (but more realistic) than in previous games, and other tasks (shooting, camera control) are still a little cumbersome. Missions do tend to stick to a few repetitive types (though the excellent story makes you care more about completing them).
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Other things to address this week:
- That Facade game I said I was going to try out last post…yeah, it’s crap. I get where they want to go with it, but the technology isn’t there yet. Not worth the lengthy download.
- Two exciting musical releases this week. The first is the latest release by Portishead. Third may not be as instantly gripping as their first two albums, but it is haunting in its own right. The second album to check out is the debut of Santogold. The easy way to describe her would be a Brooklyn M.I.A., but her sound is, for better or worse, more varied than M.I.A.’s. She does the whole retro synth mixed with tribal beats, but she also throws in some indie guitars and 80’s pop/rock. Not every track is perfect, but when she hits (like with the song Creator) she hits hard.
Game on! (I guess…)
When I was growing up I played a lot of video games, not unlike many boys my age, though I’d like to imagine I was more than your average 10 year old gamer. When other kids put down Duck Hunt and picked up a baseball glove, I stuck with the games. I spent time honing my Contra skills rather than going outside. Collecting issues of Nintendo Power was more important to me than collecting baseball cards. Knowing all of the secrets of Super Mario Bros. 3 was essential and the most important event of any month was running downstairs to see the new Sega Channel lineup.
That’s why it’s upsetting to me that I just don’t care as much about games as I used to.
Games used to be everything and now they are just diversions. They used to fill my time, but now, they simply pass it when I can’t think of anything better to do. I think I did what I’d never thought I’d do; I outgrew video games.
Now that doesn’t mean I don’t play them anymore. Quite the contrary. It’s just that they don’t breed the same excitement in me as they used to. Case in point: Crysis. If you don’t know, Crysis was a game that came out for the PC last year and received tons of accolades for it’s ultra fancy graphics and environments. It was one of two or three games that I specifically upgraded my computer to play. I got it and rather than spend countless consecutive hours conquering every level, I set it down about a quarter of the way through. Here was a game that I was really anticipating and spent lots of money on, only to go, “meh” and move on to something else. Recently, I picked it up again and have been having more fun with it this time, but there’s still nothing life changing about it.
That’s my problem with games today. They should be shooting so much higher. If they really tried, they could be on the same creative level as movies, but so many seem to settle for the same stagnant ideas. How many first person shooters/Halo sequels will we have to go through before we get something new? Games even have the built in advantage of being interactive as opposed to other media like movies and TV where the viewer is a passive participant. More games should use this to their advantage.
One moment in recent gaming that utilized this advantage was Bioshock. In it, you play a survivor of plane crash that discovers an underwater utopia gone awry. Genetic freaks jump at you from all directions and your only ally is a man on a radio guiding you through the levels. (warning: game spoilers ahead) About halfway through the game, you come to meet this man and realize that he is actually the lunatic creator of the underwater paradise and that you are simply a servant of his doing his bidding though a sort of mind control. Several things you, as a player, did earlier in the game of your own free will turn out to be objectives that you were being compelled to do by this mind control. If it were a movie, you would simply see the actor straining to come to grips with the fact he is a pawn, but since this is a game you were controlling (or so you thought) you begin to wonder about the amount of free will you had within the game in the first place.
Other than more creative narratives, game should also strive for more varied experiences. Most genre games are just recycled versions of previous games with better graphics and maybe one new feature. Supreme Commander is just a fancy Dune 2. Halo 3 isn’t any more interesting than Quake 2 was when it first came out. EA Sports has even managed to build a base of people that will pay 50 bucks every year for essentially the same game.
RTS, shooters, and sports genres do little evolving from year to year, which is why genre-defying games are so much more exciting. Try and admit that you weren’t giddy the first time you played Katamari Damacy. You couldn’t really explain it to your friends because there was nothing like it at the time (now it too has fallen into the trap of recycle, rinse, repeat, as two sequels have produced basically the same game.) There have been other recent games that have provided unique experiences. Portal isn’t quite a shooter and isn’t quite a puzzle game, but blends elements of both those genres to make a great game. Shadow of the Colossus looks like a platform adventure game, but it doesn’t play like anything before it. Games like Lumines show that you don’t have to completely reinvent the wheel or spend lots of money to have a unique game experience.
The next game I’m going to check out is a free computer game called Facade. From the trailers, it looks like a conversation simulation where everything you type is read and responded to by the virtual couple. It might turn out to be a gimmick, but at least it’s not Halo 4.
This just in…
Some of my favorite things to watch are news bloopers. Being a broadcast major, I got to see many firsthand. There may be nothing funnier than a on-air Freudian slip or an anchor letting viewers know how he really feels when he thinks the cameras have turned off. Here are some of my favorites…
Today’s top stories…
…and how’s the weather out there?
…onto sports…
…and we close the show with a few light news kickers.
Good night and good luck.
Stephen Colbert: Clinton & Edwards & Obama..oh my!
If you didn’t see it tonight, Colbert just pulled off the greatest episode of his career and made one of the most brilliant (and ballsy) underhanded jabs at a candidate I’ve ever seen. It was his masterpiece, his Sistine Chapel.
The night started with a fairly lame guest appearance by Hillary Clinton. I know she’s not supposed to be a comedian, but it couldn’t hurt to fine tune her comedic delivery just a little. She looked like Deal or No Deal contestant that was trying too hard to be funny. Everything seemed a little forced. I, like a lot of the media it seems, have kind of had it out for her this campaign. Maybe I’m just swayed by that media coverage, but I can’t shake that feeling that she’s selling me something I don’t want to buy. Nothing she says seems genuine to me. It’s all politics and pandering. Consider this clip of her remembering how she felt when she heard Martin Luther King had been shot…
Really? Not that I think people can’t have emotional reactions to national tragedies, but when people don’t seem genuine about it or try to make the tragedy their own, then I get mad.
Getting back to Colbert…Clinton’s skit had her showing off her ability to solve any problem by fixing Colbert’s giant video screen. I wondered if he would pull any punches since she was in attendance, but when Obama’s glorious image was beamed onto the screen later in the show, I knew Colbert’s plan. He had Clinton “fix” the screen that Obama would later appear on to do his own, more entertaining guest appearance. It was resplendant.
Not to be lost in all this was John Edwards delivering Colbert’s signature “Word” segment (tonight called “edWords”). He didn’t make any announcements or endorsements, but he did proudly show his love for water sports.
Be sure to catch the episode when it re-airs.
(edit: Or just watch the clips below…God I love the internet…)
