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(Video Games) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 For Ledger: Many people have taught me that tomorrow is not necessarily guaranteed, you taught me that today is not necessarily guaranteed either. Uncle Michael loves you kiddo. You deserved so much better than you got. Rest in Peace little one. The Prophecy Foretold "The studio made their game because they wanted to make a game that they wanted to play themselves. They didn’t make it to increase market shares. They didn’t make it to serve a brand. They didn’t have to meet arbitrary sales targets or fear being laid off if they didn’t meet those targets. Furthermore, the people in charge forbade them from cramming the game with anything whose only purpose was to increase revenue, and didn’t serve the game design. They didn’t treat their developers like numbers on a spreadsheet. They didn’t treat their players as users to exploit, and they didn’t make decisions they knew were shortsighted in function of a bonus or politics. They knew that if you put the g...
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(Video Games) Dispatch

    Dispatch Dispatch before Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ? Yeah. I am as surprised as you. The Usual Video Game Disclaimer Long time followers of my blog know that I don't usually do Video Game reviews. Part of this is because the WTM/STF format doesn't really apply to video game story telling. Movies/Films top out at 3-3.5 hours. Modern video games with a story even worth exploring start at 10-12 hours. There's usually just too much there there to keep up with. The other major reason I don't review video games is that fun is such a subjective and evolving concept. In 1972, Pong was the greatest game ever. It was two sticks passing a digital ball back and forth. In 1980, Pac-Man was the greatest game ever. It was a big yellow circle eating small white circles and running away from multi-colored ghosts; pretty much indefinitely. In 1991 Street Fighter II was the greatest game ever. It was pick one of 8 people (well, 7 people and whatever the hell Blanka is) and beat up ...
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Chest Hair Cinema #1 - Barbie (2023)

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  Chest Hair Cinema #1 - Barbie (2023) Preamble: Late in 2023 my therapist and I began a focus on masculinity and masculine energy. While I can freely admit I'm as much of a dude bro as anyone else can be, I've never been the step in, take charge and immediately take over an entire room I just walked into. I've always errored on the side of caution when it comes to matters of gender; as I've always felt that assuming the relationship was something more than it was had far more risk than assuming it was far less than it was. This assumption; has of course, lead to a number of missed opportunities throughout life, but that's neither here nor there. As we worked through what is generally considered healthy and unhealthy masculinity, I began; as I often do, to focus on masculinity in media and how men in general are portrayed either positively or negatively. I started thinking "This might make a fun an interesting blog series." and sometime later (nearly ...
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(Video Games) Alan Wake II

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    Alan Wake II This post is dedicated to the late James McCaffery. May your journey through the night continue. The Usual Video Game Disclaimer Long time followers of my blog know that I don't usually do Video Game reviews. Part of this is because the WTM/STF format doesn't really apply to video game story telling. Movies/Films top out at 3-3.5 hours. Modern video games with a story even worth exploring start at 10-12 hours. There's usually just too much there there to keep up with. The other major reason I don't review video games is that fun is such a subjective and evolving concept. In 1972, Pong was the greatest game ever. It was two sticks passing a digital ball back and forth. In 1980, Pac-Man was the greatest game ever. It was a big yellow circle eating small white circles and running away from multi-colored ghosts; pretty much indefinitely. In 1991 Street Fighter II was the greatest game ever. It was pick one of 8 people (well, 7 people and whateve...
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The Gambler (2014)

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    The Gambler (2014) Watching the Movie:  Gorgeous cinematography and some really intense situations that make you wish you could reach into the screen, grab Marky Mark by the throat and scream "FUCKING STOP IT YOU MORON" even more than you probably already do for any number of potential reasons. John Goodman gives his best non Walter Sobchak/Coach Harris/Dan Conner performance. Literally seeing a short reel of the "Best Dialogue" from this movie is the only reason I ever wanted to watch it. Other than that, it at least serves as a warning to never let Mark Wahlburg and Brie Larson ever be in the same room ever again, especially when the former clearly doesn't give a shit. Wahlburg in this movie makes his performance in "Max Payne" (2008) look intense and dramatic.  Screening the Film:  Primary focus is on empowerment and control, or lack thereof. Addiction, compulsion, and dealing with same. Destiny and what, if anything, individuals can do to d...
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Empire Records (1995)

  Empire Records (1995) Author's Note: Most of this was originally written on October 3, 2014. Changes include some additional "Screening the Film" commentary, selection of new "Best Dialogue." Watching the Movie:  Excellently cast and perfectly acted teen dramady that actually essentially captures the essence of what it very much was like to be in your late teens/early twenties in the mid 1990's. Obviously, it's a movie about a record store, so the soundtrack is going to be top shelf (though I sadly misplaced my copy years ago). The characters are unique and well developed but probably a little too shallow and obvious to really be taken seriously; but the storyline all brings them together in a way that is really far too entertaining for any plot shortcomings to be taken seriously...with one notable exception. The second act of this film; pretty much everything from Corey's attempted seduction of Rex Manning to the Gina Freak Out/Corey Freak Out ...
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Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005)

    Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Watching The Movie: Enjoyment of this as a movie is highly correlated to enjoyment of Final Fantasy VII and the universe and lore created therein. However, that's not to say that knowing every aspect of lore around the narrative is necessary. My wife went in knowing very little about FFVII and was not entirely lost in the story. The movie does a good job giving at least a base framework of who the characters are to one another and the general issues going in within the world. If you like frantic, non-stop action then it's likely you'll enjoy watching this movie, even if it is only once. Screening the Film:  Obviously, a movie with the word children in the title will have a few images of the parental relationships, specifically between mothers and sons. There also is significant imagery around familial bonds of siblings with specific focus on brothers. Given the focus on Rufus, the Turks, and Shinra in general, there's some pretty s...
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