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Literary Fantasy
[Note: this was written in response to a forum thread but, bizarrely enough, I actually have found that I like composing things in livejournal, so I'm just going to post this here since it is already here.]
It's hard to think of a more outwardly preposterous term than "literary fiction." Using a strictly literal definition of literary, literary ( Read more... ) -
On Criticism
Let us agree that all lists of movies are nonsense. I have steadfastly refused to compose any list of films except for my annual Best 10 list, and the Sight & Sound poll--which has, after all, some real significance. Despite the entreaties of countless editors, authors and websites, I decline to make lists of the best comedies, horror films, ( Read more... ) -
A Game That Actually Matters
In August 2007, BioShock was released. It's a year later, and almost as if the gaming industry is establishing a pattern, we have another high-concept title that threatens to revolutionize how we think of video games. It's called Braid, and the creators of Penny-Arcade (who, for better or for worse, are some of gaming culture's most prominent ( Read more... ) -
Fun with a Purpose
I watched Delta Farce. That's the movie starring Larry the Cable Guy. That's the movie known for being an irredeemable collection of crude slapstick, bodily function gags, and gay stereotypes. It has a 3% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Not only that, I own Delta Farce. I spent a whole five dollars on it. I saw it sitting on the discount rack at Blockbuster ( Read more... ) -
Grand Theft Auto IV
The alarm on my cell phone goes off, reminding me that my job interview is scheduled for noon. It's a little past 11:30 right now, and I'm nearly at the office. "Perfect timing," I think as I exit the car and make my way to the front doors. I look over my clothes to make sure I'm dressed for the part, and I do not disappoint - I'm wearing a dark ( Read more... ) -
Speed Racer
It's the year 1999. A movie called The Matrix is released, and all of a sudden the word "Wachowski" means something in Hollywood.
It's the year 2003. The Matrix Revolutions is released, and all of a sudden the word "Wachowski" means a whole lot less.
I won't attempt to figure out what went wrong after The Matrix. This review isn't the place to ( Read more... ) -
Looking Back on BioShock
Last year's critical darling BioShock reminded us of an important fact: the words in a video game do not come from nowhere. They have to be thought up and written down by a shy, reclusive creature known commonly as a "writer," and good writers can make all of the difference in the world. In BioShock's case, that writer was (mostly) Ken Levine, who ( Read more... ) -
The Forbidden Kingdom
I'll be honest here: I don't "get" martial arts movies. I appreciate a good ass-kicking as much as the next person, but martial art buffs nerd out in a way that I'll probably never relate to. So when people talk about the momentous, long-awaited union of Jet Li and Jackie Chan, two names familiar even to those that don't spend their time watching ( Read more... ) -
Shoot 'Em Up
Probably the most positive thing I can say about Shoot 'Em Up is that it reminded me a lot of Children of Men. Both are violent stories centered on babies, and both star Clive Owen as an almost inexplicably heroic man who either shoots guns a whole lot or never so much as squeezes a trigger. (Try to guess in which film he does which.) Sometimes I ( Read more... ) -
Amelie
I'm coming in late to this one. Amelie was released in 2001, and though it is seven years later and the film has since met with plenty of warm reviews, I didn't really know all that much about it. I did not know the plot; I did not know whether it was a drama or a comedy (though I had gotten the impression that it was a light hearted flick); all I ( Read more... )