I hate today.
I hate a lot of days but I REALLY hate today.
To avoid trouble I'll spare you the details but to sum things up I was in a car accident AGAIN. It wasn't my fault but I didn't handle the situation well so now I'm in worse than before.
My life sucks.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Kansas International Film Festival
I've been spending the weekend in front of a screen. A movie screen at the Glenwood Arts Theater for the 2006 Kansas International Film Festival. So far I've seen eight films not counting 20 plus shorts and I'm going to give a quick rundown of what I've seen. Here we go in order of viewing:
DAY ONE
Sandstorm: Set in China, it is a hazy examination of a police officer trapped in a massive sandstorm with his wife and his guilt over his actions in the brutal persecution of the peaceful Falun Dai (or Falun Gong) movement. While it does a good job of showing the cruelty of the police, this film seems to be Falun Gong propaganda. There's nothing wrong with that since we're talking about a nice bunch of people who were punished for promoting peace in a nation that thrives on military fervor--sound familiar?--however, I do not need to be convinced to believe Falun Gong is hao. I am convinced that the film had alterior motives and I didn't appreciate that.
Night of the Living Dead: Wow! It was my first time seeing it and I got to see it on a big screen. How great is that? And director George Romero was there too with his collaborator Tom Savini! Just having the opportunity to see these two in person was nice but it helps that the film was interesting too, if not that great.
You already know what the movie is about. If you don't you need to go and download a free and legal copy of the film for yourself. I knew that the film had a black hero but it was still amazing to see it on the screen knowing that it was a film produced by white people back in 1968. He actually hits a white woman (not his finest moment) and fights with white people, killing one. This is far more impressive than the zombie stuff.
The movie is old and was done on a low budget with inexperienced people and it shows but for all of its glaring flaws there are moments where everything working against it works for it, creating moments that feel uncomfortably real or become quite frightening without relying of gore. It's a must-see, at least because of its acclaim in the film world.
BachelorMan: I met the director of the film while getting tickets and told him I would go and see it. Big mistake. The movie isn't absolute trash as the acting is actually quite good (Missi Pyle shines in a role many more popular actresses wouldn't have put effort into and David DeLuise is charismatic as BachelorMan himself) but the script in not only juvenile but often doesn't make any sense. Things happen because the formula demands them to happen, not because they make any sense. Some scenes were obvious candidates for cutting but somehow still ended up in the film to suggest things that never happen. This is a "guy" film that most mature, real guys would be offended by.
DAY TWO
Sentenced Home: In 1996 a law was passed that forced every non-citizen American convicted of a felony to be deported, even if they had already served jail time. The law provides no appeals process and, with our post 9/11 world, it seems unlikely that there will be any chance of this law being changed to take into account those who have changed their lived around and/or have never been to the countries they are being deported to. In this film the subjects are Cambodian citizens brought over to America to escape Pol Pot back in the 70s. Some of them don't even remember their home countries but because of their crimes they are being forced back there.
Not all of the subjects are sympathetic but the unfairness of their plight is well stated. It's also impressive that the one voice in the film supporting the deportations (or at least the one that represents the deporters) makes a good arguement in favor of the law. That said, it still shows families being torn apart and young men being tossed from the opportunities and advantages of America and back into the poverty of Cambodia all because of crimes for which they thought they had already payed the penalty.
The Hole Story: A mockumentary about the director's quest to solve the mystery of a hole that forms on the frozen surface of a lake in Minnesota despite freezing temperatures. His exploration, however, is sidetracked by reality.
While the story is nice and clever, it isn't all that interesting. The hero who is the real-life director of the film comes across not as a loveable loser but a big loser who might be loveable. Parts of the film seem a little farfetched and it just isn't that entertaining. Everyone else liked it but I wasn't impressed.
IFCKC Horror Film Competition: Lots of horror shorts. So many were entered because of Romero and Savini's judging of the films that they had an overflow day on Thursday night. That resulted in the two winning films being shown BEFORE the festival and leaving many people not knowing this until that night. A good display of bad organization. Also, during the films I did get to see, one had technical difficulty and was skipped over to the insult, in my opinion, of the filmmaker who worked hard to make his or her film.
Most of what I saw wasn't very good and I probably shouldn't have expected much but one film I noticed was Female Intuition. It was the only film that felt like something I had never seen before (or, more accurately, hadn't seen a million times before.) In it a girl goes to the doctor because she feels her sixth sense of danger is telling her she has a chronic illness. Turns out she's not the one with the problem. At least she's not the only one... The production values were high quality and the story was told well. Some of the other films seemed sloppy or had vague stories (including some "experimental" films that hopefully stay experiments) but Female Intuition stayed logical, functional, and fun.
Creepshow: Another Romero scarefest, this time with Steven King's help to create five short tales of terror. Romero himself says that the film is more funny than scary and this is true. Although it has gory moments the real focus is on the jokes.
The best story featured Stephen King himself (he's not a bad actor) playing a country bumpkin who encounters a meteor that unleashes a green weed that grows on and over everything. While the other stories are tradition fare of monsters, this one is a tale of torture from beyond and its frightening--and funny--to watch Stephen wrestle with the bizzare plants.
DAY THREE
This Film is Not Yet Rated: Best film of the festival so far. The director was kind enough to submit this film as a sneak peak showing prior to its official October run. Despite showing in a small theater it is still impressive that they actually had to turn people away from the screening. They actually had to set up folding chairs to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend.
None of us were disappointed as the film is a funny but angering look at the MPAA movie rating process. A system that, as you might already know, sees sex and pleasure as more vile than violence. It is amazing to learn what the now not-so-secret screening board thinks constitutes an NC-17 rating. Female pleasure is essentially offensive to them. Bloodless violence is not. Gay sex is far more offensive than straight sex even when the latter is more explicit. Little moments that make a film feel real are the moments that the MPAA (and studios by association) want removed to get that precious R.
It was pretty disgusting but the film has a bemused tone seeing as this is not nearly as important a subject as war or disease or the-idiots-in-office. The real amusement, however, comes from the director hiring a private eye to find out the identities of the MPAA ratings board. A group that is supposedly made up of the parents of young children and teens turns out to be full of people who have adult children and at least one member who might not have any kids at all! What effect the revealation of the board will have is yet to be seen (I doubt much will change since many of thsoe who most need to hear this message won't even hear about This Film is Not Yet Rated.) but one can hope that, someday, a new rating system will be put in place that at sees violence as more offensive than sex and that considers the artistic integrity of a film.
Drakmar: A documentary that started as a look at a charismatic teenage geek which turned into something more. Colin Taylor is (or, rather, was) a 14-year-old with a passion for Halo, Dungeons and Dragons, and live action role playing with real steel fighting (how cool and weird is that?) The documentary details his quest to move up in the ranks of the LARP realm but it gets a positive sidetracking through Colin's brother Corwin who asks the filmmakers to help him find their absent birth-father.
It's great to see a film that looks at geek-culture through a positive lens even though the weirder and sillier aspects of Colin and his friends still show. Better yet, the movie was made on 200 dollards cash. 200 dollars not only gave two filmmakers their shot at the big time but they also changed the lives of two people for the better. Money is so amazing when used the right way. And as for Colin himself, I think he'll be a geek hero for years to come. I know a lot of kids across America will see or hear about this film and say "Hey! That's me! Someone made a movie about me!"
WHAT'S NEXT?
I only have eight more showing to go. Only one film stands out as a must see: American Stag made by local filmmaker Ben Meade who is also a chairperson of the festival. Stag looks at 50s and 60s porno films (hooray porn!) It shows on Wednesday evening so, if you can, come on down and get a look at it (but for the intellectual value, not the porn you perv.)
DAY ONE
Sandstorm: Set in China, it is a hazy examination of a police officer trapped in a massive sandstorm with his wife and his guilt over his actions in the brutal persecution of the peaceful Falun Dai (or Falun Gong) movement. While it does a good job of showing the cruelty of the police, this film seems to be Falun Gong propaganda. There's nothing wrong with that since we're talking about a nice bunch of people who were punished for promoting peace in a nation that thrives on military fervor--sound familiar?--however, I do not need to be convinced to believe Falun Gong is hao. I am convinced that the film had alterior motives and I didn't appreciate that.
Night of the Living Dead: Wow! It was my first time seeing it and I got to see it on a big screen. How great is that? And director George Romero was there too with his collaborator Tom Savini! Just having the opportunity to see these two in person was nice but it helps that the film was interesting too, if not that great.
You already know what the movie is about. If you don't you need to go and download a free and legal copy of the film for yourself. I knew that the film had a black hero but it was still amazing to see it on the screen knowing that it was a film produced by white people back in 1968. He actually hits a white woman (not his finest moment) and fights with white people, killing one. This is far more impressive than the zombie stuff.
The movie is old and was done on a low budget with inexperienced people and it shows but for all of its glaring flaws there are moments where everything working against it works for it, creating moments that feel uncomfortably real or become quite frightening without relying of gore. It's a must-see, at least because of its acclaim in the film world.
BachelorMan: I met the director of the film while getting tickets and told him I would go and see it. Big mistake. The movie isn't absolute trash as the acting is actually quite good (Missi Pyle shines in a role many more popular actresses wouldn't have put effort into and David DeLuise is charismatic as BachelorMan himself) but the script in not only juvenile but often doesn't make any sense. Things happen because the formula demands them to happen, not because they make any sense. Some scenes were obvious candidates for cutting but somehow still ended up in the film to suggest things that never happen. This is a "guy" film that most mature, real guys would be offended by.
DAY TWO
Sentenced Home: In 1996 a law was passed that forced every non-citizen American convicted of a felony to be deported, even if they had already served jail time. The law provides no appeals process and, with our post 9/11 world, it seems unlikely that there will be any chance of this law being changed to take into account those who have changed their lived around and/or have never been to the countries they are being deported to. In this film the subjects are Cambodian citizens brought over to America to escape Pol Pot back in the 70s. Some of them don't even remember their home countries but because of their crimes they are being forced back there.
Not all of the subjects are sympathetic but the unfairness of their plight is well stated. It's also impressive that the one voice in the film supporting the deportations (or at least the one that represents the deporters) makes a good arguement in favor of the law. That said, it still shows families being torn apart and young men being tossed from the opportunities and advantages of America and back into the poverty of Cambodia all because of crimes for which they thought they had already payed the penalty.
The Hole Story: A mockumentary about the director's quest to solve the mystery of a hole that forms on the frozen surface of a lake in Minnesota despite freezing temperatures. His exploration, however, is sidetracked by reality.
While the story is nice and clever, it isn't all that interesting. The hero who is the real-life director of the film comes across not as a loveable loser but a big loser who might be loveable. Parts of the film seem a little farfetched and it just isn't that entertaining. Everyone else liked it but I wasn't impressed.
IFCKC Horror Film Competition: Lots of horror shorts. So many were entered because of Romero and Savini's judging of the films that they had an overflow day on Thursday night. That resulted in the two winning films being shown BEFORE the festival and leaving many people not knowing this until that night. A good display of bad organization. Also, during the films I did get to see, one had technical difficulty and was skipped over to the insult, in my opinion, of the filmmaker who worked hard to make his or her film.
Most of what I saw wasn't very good and I probably shouldn't have expected much but one film I noticed was Female Intuition. It was the only film that felt like something I had never seen before (or, more accurately, hadn't seen a million times before.) In it a girl goes to the doctor because she feels her sixth sense of danger is telling her she has a chronic illness. Turns out she's not the one with the problem. At least she's not the only one... The production values were high quality and the story was told well. Some of the other films seemed sloppy or had vague stories (including some "experimental" films that hopefully stay experiments) but Female Intuition stayed logical, functional, and fun.
Creepshow: Another Romero scarefest, this time with Steven King's help to create five short tales of terror. Romero himself says that the film is more funny than scary and this is true. Although it has gory moments the real focus is on the jokes.
The best story featured Stephen King himself (he's not a bad actor) playing a country bumpkin who encounters a meteor that unleashes a green weed that grows on and over everything. While the other stories are tradition fare of monsters, this one is a tale of torture from beyond and its frightening--and funny--to watch Stephen wrestle with the bizzare plants.
DAY THREE
This Film is Not Yet Rated: Best film of the festival so far. The director was kind enough to submit this film as a sneak peak showing prior to its official October run. Despite showing in a small theater it is still impressive that they actually had to turn people away from the screening. They actually had to set up folding chairs to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend.
None of us were disappointed as the film is a funny but angering look at the MPAA movie rating process. A system that, as you might already know, sees sex and pleasure as more vile than violence. It is amazing to learn what the now not-so-secret screening board thinks constitutes an NC-17 rating. Female pleasure is essentially offensive to them. Bloodless violence is not. Gay sex is far more offensive than straight sex even when the latter is more explicit. Little moments that make a film feel real are the moments that the MPAA (and studios by association) want removed to get that precious R.
It was pretty disgusting but the film has a bemused tone seeing as this is not nearly as important a subject as war or disease or the-idiots-in-office. The real amusement, however, comes from the director hiring a private eye to find out the identities of the MPAA ratings board. A group that is supposedly made up of the parents of young children and teens turns out to be full of people who have adult children and at least one member who might not have any kids at all! What effect the revealation of the board will have is yet to be seen (I doubt much will change since many of thsoe who most need to hear this message won't even hear about This Film is Not Yet Rated.) but one can hope that, someday, a new rating system will be put in place that at sees violence as more offensive than sex and that considers the artistic integrity of a film.
Drakmar: A documentary that started as a look at a charismatic teenage geek which turned into something more. Colin Taylor is (or, rather, was) a 14-year-old with a passion for Halo, Dungeons and Dragons, and live action role playing with real steel fighting (how cool and weird is that?) The documentary details his quest to move up in the ranks of the LARP realm but it gets a positive sidetracking through Colin's brother Corwin who asks the filmmakers to help him find their absent birth-father.
It's great to see a film that looks at geek-culture through a positive lens even though the weirder and sillier aspects of Colin and his friends still show. Better yet, the movie was made on 200 dollards cash. 200 dollars not only gave two filmmakers their shot at the big time but they also changed the lives of two people for the better. Money is so amazing when used the right way. And as for Colin himself, I think he'll be a geek hero for years to come. I know a lot of kids across America will see or hear about this film and say "Hey! That's me! Someone made a movie about me!"
WHAT'S NEXT?
I only have eight more showing to go. Only one film stands out as a must see: American Stag made by local filmmaker Ben Meade who is also a chairperson of the festival. Stag looks at 50s and 60s porno films (hooray porn!) It shows on Wednesday evening so, if you can, come on down and get a look at it (but for the intellectual value, not the porn you perv.)
Thursday, September 14, 2006
The Lord of the Wrong
Neil Gaiman, master of all media (but not video games, at least not yet) has alerted his fanbase to a magical place of absolute horror. The Shire housing development in Bend, Oregon promises to slowly turn into one of the largest sustained areas of concentrated geekery outside of Silicon Valley. By the looks of it this could slide from severe geekery into sheer dorkdom. I'm overdosing on nerdiness just by thinking about this place.
Sure, it looks nice and uses green building methods and is located in one of the most liberal places on the planet but isn't their such a thing as too much?
And should they build this in New Zealand? It's a lot prettier over there.
Check the title for the link.
Sure, it looks nice and uses green building methods and is located in one of the most liberal places on the planet but isn't their such a thing as too much?
And should they build this in New Zealand? It's a lot prettier over there.
Check the title for the link.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Muse - Time is Running Out
I've been hearing this song in the September ads for Turner Classic Movies (some of the best ads ever. Always hip and sexy and very incongruous to most of their films which makes them PERFECT.) Today I thought to myself "Gee, that sounds like that Muse band that I'm enamored with."
A quickie look up of one lyric proved me right. Indeed, this is another full on blast of musicality from Muse.
You wanna know why I like them? Because they sound like a Japanese rock band but not only do they sing in English (of course) but their lyrics actually make sense and don't sound silly. There's another band that comes close to this feeling for me, Linkin Park, but their lyrics never seem to work even though their songs are great music-wise.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Muse - Knights of Cydonia
I'm sorry that most of my posts lately are just music videos but, aside for selfishly building a list of favorite sounds outside of the YouTube favorites system, I like sharing good music.
96.5 The Buzz, former home of Lazlo, current home of some other DJ who sucks, is having a "shuffle weekend" and they just happened to play this song. I've been hearing a buzz about Muse but never checked them out before.
I think I've just become a devotee.
The video is silly but just listen to the song. It's epic and that's a feeling most bands don't bother attempting anymore which is why a lot of music today doesn't last longer than it's airplay. Muse wants to take us somewhere. I wanna go!
Monday, August 28, 2006
People Make Me Sick
Look at the video first and then read what people left behind. Disgusting!
They ought to be banned for saying such things. Banned from living, that is. We're always wondering why the world is in such a mess and that's the biggest clue: ignorance.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Passion (and a bonus!) - Utada Hikaru
Hikaru is her first name. Utada is her last name and the sole moniker she goes by in the States. Hikaru is one of a small group of Japanese pop stars who had the good fortune to spend their formative years in the United States but this hasn't yet translated to strong U.S. sales. Nor has it translated to strong English language music as you can see here.
The song is in Japanese and is lovely, as is the video, but the English version (which, oddly enough, was written first and titled "Sanctuary") is clunky in its lyrics although it is brilliant compared to her first U.S. release, "Easy Breezy" which made her most hardcore American fans weep and everyone else laugh in her face. That's worth a post in and of itself.
And, you know what? As much as I love her, you have to hear Easy Breezy. It's hilarious...and still not half as bad as some of the music coming from the post-Mickey Mouse Club era of Disney Teen Moppets (TM Disney.) Utada is young and talented. Here's hoping she finds a way to break into the American market without caving to bland pop or becoming tethered to the anime fandom.
Not that we'd mind having her...
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Media Day
Today was one of those rare days when my life didn't belong to someone else. I took care of business by going to see Little Miss Sunshine, one of the best family films that the people who ought to see it will never see because it's deservedly R rated and actually has a brain. I actually laughed so hard at the end of that movie that I started crying. There were a few points where I think people will genuinely cry because...you'll have to see it yourself.
However, due to a time mix up, I went to the theater too early so I went almost all the way back home and wound up at the library where I picked up a reserved copy of The Man Who Heard Voices, the semi-biography of M. Night Shyamalan's process of filming Lady in the Water. People say the book will either make Night look like a scorned genius or a crazy. I'm leaning towards Night being a guy who wanted to make a movie he really cared about without stupid suits getting in the way but who didn't realize that those suits he rejected were actually right. More importantly I wandered upon a graphic novel called Valerian: The New Future Trilogy. I don't know what it's about yet but it's French, it's sci-fi, and it was one of the inspirations for The Fifth Element (and supposedly parts Star Wars.) The book is part of a long running series of Valerian "graphic albums" by Jean-Clause Mézières and Pierre Christin. With what I'm working on now and with my need to learn more about comics outside of the U.S. and the superhero world I'm looking forward to seeing how the French handle their comics. So far it seems very cinematic. I can see some complaining (whining) about decompression with this but I just see opportunities to slow down and enjoy some pretty pictures.
However, due to a time mix up, I went to the theater too early so I went almost all the way back home and wound up at the library where I picked up a reserved copy of The Man Who Heard Voices, the semi-biography of M. Night Shyamalan's process of filming Lady in the Water. People say the book will either make Night look like a scorned genius or a crazy. I'm leaning towards Night being a guy who wanted to make a movie he really cared about without stupid suits getting in the way but who didn't realize that those suits he rejected were actually right. More importantly I wandered upon a graphic novel called Valerian: The New Future Trilogy. I don't know what it's about yet but it's French, it's sci-fi, and it was one of the inspirations for The Fifth Element (and supposedly parts Star Wars.) The book is part of a long running series of Valerian "graphic albums" by Jean-Clause Mézières and Pierre Christin. With what I'm working on now and with my need to learn more about comics outside of the U.S. and the superhero world I'm looking forward to seeing how the French handle their comics. So far it seems very cinematic. I can see some complaining (whining) about decompression with this but I just see opportunities to slow down and enjoy some pretty pictures.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Mika Nakashima - Legend
A beautiful song sung by a beautiful woman. Mika is one of the few who go beyond simple Japanese pop and creates music worthy of the title 'Idol.'
But what's up with her doll? Look closely...
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Under the Influence of Giants - Mama's Room
The 2ist century has been defined musically by the return of the 20th century. Innovation hasn't been about creating new types of music but discovering old genres and styles, often ones that really aren't that old. Usually, this is just more sad rehashing but sometimes it works just right.
Case in point: Under the Influence of Giants. Their real name should be Junior Bee-Gees but whereas the original Bee-Gees were disco light, UTIOG is disco heavy. Disco beats in general have been coming back for a few years but UTIOG combines the beats and sounds of the 70s with a harder edge. UTIOG is what would have happened had those early punk pioneers wandered into Studio 54 and liked what they heard.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
It's Been A Long Time
[I] Should not have left you
Without a dope beat to step to...
-Timbaland
It has been a long time. I haven't even updated the subtitle for the blog! That's bad.
You can add "Lady in the Water" to the list of to-be-reviewed films (Good, but perhaps only for the Shayamalan faithful like myself.)
Also, if you have Animal Crossing for the DS please leave a comment and we can swap friend codes.
Here's a video by defunct Japanese band Psycho le Cemu (or "Ce Lemu" as I always want to say it.)
It's called Roman Hikou and, besides being more bizarre than usual for visual kei videos, it also inspired a character in one of my comics projects.
Which reminds me that I'm working on something with a friend involving Flash Gordon style sci-fi so look for updates on that.
Without a dope beat to step to...
-Timbaland
It has been a long time. I haven't even updated the subtitle for the blog! That's bad.
You can add "Lady in the Water" to the list of to-be-reviewed films (Good, but perhaps only for the Shayamalan faithful like myself.)
Also, if you have Animal Crossing for the DS please leave a comment and we can swap friend codes.
Here's a video by defunct Japanese band Psycho le Cemu (or "Ce Lemu" as I always want to say it.)
It's called Roman Hikou and, besides being more bizarre than usual for visual kei videos, it also inspired a character in one of my comics projects.
Which reminds me that I'm working on something with a friend involving Flash Gordon style sci-fi so look for updates on that.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Clerks II Pre-review
Sometime soon I'll be reviewing Clerks II. My early word: Kev did it again!
Also there'll be word on A Scanner Darkly, also a good piece of celluloid.
Also there'll be word on A Scanner Darkly, also a good piece of celluloid.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
TMNT Return
The ninja turtles never went away. I just grew away from the other versions that came after my beloved first series of cartoon turtles. The original comic book was, much as people will berate me for this, too grim for me. I like my happy pizza eaters over Raphael as Wolver-turtle.
I'm not sure what to think about this new movie but the trailer looks pretty damn awesome. I'd be saying that even if I'd never heard of the turtles before.Poor Michaelangelo!Read more at www.apple.com/trailers/...
Friday, July 21, 2006
Everything is Role Playing
I was in Borders Bookstore today just to have something to do when a copy of Werewolf: The Forsaken caught my eye. Like I've said before, I'm a werewolf nut so I had to look at it. Most of the story concepts aren't for me. All the pseudo-spiritual hoo hah and the fancy tribes all seem to get in the way of the monsters and mayhem but it's still interesting to look at. RPG books are fun in that they're guidebooks into other worlds and how they work that don't have a set hero or a storyline to follow other than everthing that has happened. And reading Werewolf got me thinking not so much about werewolves or fantasy worlds but about how much I want to get into role playing again.
I've never been a big role playing guy. I never played D&D until college and that was only a few times. I was in one campaign for a different system but it didn't last too long although I have a funny story or two about it.
To be honest, as fun as making characters is and as much as I like it when my guy is up to play, pen and paper roleplaying can be awfully boring. But at the same time it can be more engrossing than video game RPGs that are played alone or with Internet strangers. Pen and paper RPGs let you play with, if not your friends, flesh and blood people and without the restrictions of a strict computer program and a weak CPU.
I think I ought to look around and see if I can find some people to game with. I already know a few people who might be available or who know some people who might be available. Maybe sometime I can even be Dungeon Master again although I'll have to cool it on dungeons that feel like Donkey Kong levels and slapping the players around.
Really, I just miss having people to hang out with all the time like I did in college. That's probably why I want to try role playing again, even if it gets a little boring.
I've never been a big role playing guy. I never played D&D until college and that was only a few times. I was in one campaign for a different system but it didn't last too long although I have a funny story or two about it.
To be honest, as fun as making characters is and as much as I like it when my guy is up to play, pen and paper roleplaying can be awfully boring. But at the same time it can be more engrossing than video game RPGs that are played alone or with Internet strangers. Pen and paper RPGs let you play with, if not your friends, flesh and blood people and without the restrictions of a strict computer program and a weak CPU.
I think I ought to look around and see if I can find some people to game with. I already know a few people who might be available or who know some people who might be available. Maybe sometime I can even be Dungeon Master again although I'll have to cool it on dungeons that feel like Donkey Kong levels and slapping the players around.
Really, I just miss having people to hang out with all the time like I did in college. That's probably why I want to try role playing again, even if it gets a little boring.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Guardians of Luna
Werewolves are my favorite. They're the best monsters ever. Imagine being able to live a normal life for all but 12 nights of the year when you get to let that angry, snarling monster you keep trapped inside out to terrorize the chickens. Werewolves rock.
And when they get to be the good guys? That's the rock getting its roll.
Guardians of Luna is a new animated adventure show from one of the minds behind Batman: The Animated Series and, my all-time favorite cartoon, Gargoyles. Honestly, it sounds dangerously similar to White Wolf games but it balances that with robots. Werewolves AND robots? All right!
The show hasn't been picked up by anyone yet so it probably won't make it on our screens this fall or it might go into syndication hell but it sounds like it will actually make it to TV and I can't wait. Check the link in the title for a preview. I'm hoping someone leaks the video to YouTube.
And when they get to be the good guys? That's the rock getting its roll.
Guardians of Luna is a new animated adventure show from one of the minds behind Batman: The Animated Series and, my all-time favorite cartoon, Gargoyles. Honestly, it sounds dangerously similar to White Wolf games but it balances that with robots. Werewolves AND robots? All right!
The show hasn't been picked up by anyone yet so it probably won't make it on our screens this fall or it might go into syndication hell but it sounds like it will actually make it to TV and I can't wait. Check the link in the title for a preview. I'm hoping someone leaks the video to YouTube.
Friday, July 14, 2006
And Now I See the Lite
Earlier this week I finally got my hands on a gorgeous Nintendo DS Lite, a brilliant white gaming device that doesn't even need games to feel sexy. Seriously, the thing is so stylish that it is sexy. Give an average looking girl a Lite to hold and she will suddenly develop larger breasts, wider hips, a lean and mean waistline, and the longest and smoothest legs ever made.
Okay, that last part was weird but stay with me here.
I'd been debating getting one for a while. Earlier this year I was planning on getting a Playstation 2, something I still plan on doing before the end of the year if not the end of Summer. Even then I already knew that I wanted a DS because of the quirky game titles that Nintendo has been releasing and because it would be the system that would host a long awaited game, New Super Mario Bros. Aside from being Mario's return to classic sidescrolling (and away from his frustrating 3D career) NSMB looked to be the perfect compliment to the DS Lite. Of course it helps that they made their American debuts only weeks apart from one another. Either way I now own both and I'm very happy with them.
Sometime this week I plan on getting a new game, preferably one that I can play over the internet. The DS Lite is wi-fi equipped so I don't need to buy anything other than a game. Will it be Animal Crossing: Wild World? Mario Kart DS? Tetris DS? Metroid Prime: Hunters?
Okay, that last part was weird but stay with me here.
I'd been debating getting one for a while. Earlier this year I was planning on getting a Playstation 2, something I still plan on doing before the end of the year if not the end of Summer. Even then I already knew that I wanted a DS because of the quirky game titles that Nintendo has been releasing and because it would be the system that would host a long awaited game, New Super Mario Bros. Aside from being Mario's return to classic sidescrolling (and away from his frustrating 3D career) NSMB looked to be the perfect compliment to the DS Lite. Of course it helps that they made their American debuts only weeks apart from one another. Either way I now own both and I'm very happy with them.
Sometime this week I plan on getting a new game, preferably one that I can play over the internet. The DS Lite is wi-fi equipped so I don't need to buy anything other than a game. Will it be Animal Crossing: Wild World? Mario Kart DS? Tetris DS? Metroid Prime: Hunters?
Monday, July 10, 2006
Failure
Let me issue a warning: This is going to be another bit of rambling whining from me. I need to get this out so don't feel pressured to actually read this. Do, however, try to comment more. It sucks to put a blog out and get so few comments. One word responses are fine but I don't have a counter so I'd like to know that people are actually reading this.
So what am I complaining about? A lot of things.
Being an "anonymous" blogger is pretty troublesome. There are all sorts of things I want to talk about that I can't to preserve this wonderful mask that is "B." Either that or I can't find a way to talk about these things. I'm lazy so I don't want to take the time to do such things either.
Lately I also find myself increasingly unhappy with my own life. Again, a lot of this involves stuff that I don't even want to bring up out of fear that the wrong people with the right info will read this and respond accordingly. It is almost purely paranoid but its what works for me.
How can I sum this up? I know what I want out of life and I can't wait to get it, but I'm slow to do the work involved and sometimes I'm too lazy to do the work involved. A certain person especially tells me that I need to plan ahead and focus on the future to which I agree but when someone is harping on you it doesn't matter how much of it is true because that person needs to shut their yap and go find someone else to annoy.
There's nothing worse than wanting something and not knowing how to get it or even being afraid to get it. There's nothing worse than wanting to say something but being afraid to say it or being embarrassed to say it. If only we could be free of these limitations like time and reality and society. There are so many damned wall around us and they're made of various types of glass. They let us see what they want but they can't be raised or lowered. The walls have to be broken and the glass pieces that will be made are sure to be very sharp.
It's my fear of failure that does it. More than anything else I am afraid of messing up. I'm almost clinically kakorrhaphiophobic (say that three times fast.) And I'm afraid of embarassment too. That ties in well.
More and more reality is closing in on me. I'm beginning to give up on my real aspirations to settle and be like everyone else. EVERYONE ELSE IS MISERABLE. I feel badly now but I don't want to be like them. At least seeing that justifies my fears somewhat. But they say its worse to try and then fail then to never try at all and that sounds true.
But I also have this terrible conservative streak in me that is constantly telling me to be like everybody else. I suppose its an after-effect of being picked on and unpopular in school. I can't believe that its almost been a decade since high school and I still worry about fitting in. I'm a geek by nature. I don't want to fit in. But my instincts, which I cannot trust right now, keep telling me that someone will beat me up if I do what I want. That won't happen but I keep feeling like it's unsafe to do what I do or what I want to do. What if people don't like it? What if people don't want it? What if people ignore it?
What if I fail? What do I do?
My suffering is so petty but why does it feel so desperately strong?
So what am I complaining about? A lot of things.
Being an "anonymous" blogger is pretty troublesome. There are all sorts of things I want to talk about that I can't to preserve this wonderful mask that is "B." Either that or I can't find a way to talk about these things. I'm lazy so I don't want to take the time to do such things either.
Lately I also find myself increasingly unhappy with my own life. Again, a lot of this involves stuff that I don't even want to bring up out of fear that the wrong people with the right info will read this and respond accordingly. It is almost purely paranoid but its what works for me.
How can I sum this up? I know what I want out of life and I can't wait to get it, but I'm slow to do the work involved and sometimes I'm too lazy to do the work involved. A certain person especially tells me that I need to plan ahead and focus on the future to which I agree but when someone is harping on you it doesn't matter how much of it is true because that person needs to shut their yap and go find someone else to annoy.
There's nothing worse than wanting something and not knowing how to get it or even being afraid to get it. There's nothing worse than wanting to say something but being afraid to say it or being embarrassed to say it. If only we could be free of these limitations like time and reality and society. There are so many damned wall around us and they're made of various types of glass. They let us see what they want but they can't be raised or lowered. The walls have to be broken and the glass pieces that will be made are sure to be very sharp.
It's my fear of failure that does it. More than anything else I am afraid of messing up. I'm almost clinically kakorrhaphiophobic (say that three times fast.) And I'm afraid of embarassment too. That ties in well.
More and more reality is closing in on me. I'm beginning to give up on my real aspirations to settle and be like everyone else. EVERYONE ELSE IS MISERABLE. I feel badly now but I don't want to be like them. At least seeing that justifies my fears somewhat. But they say its worse to try and then fail then to never try at all and that sounds true.
But I also have this terrible conservative streak in me that is constantly telling me to be like everybody else. I suppose its an after-effect of being picked on and unpopular in school. I can't believe that its almost been a decade since high school and I still worry about fitting in. I'm a geek by nature. I don't want to fit in. But my instincts, which I cannot trust right now, keep telling me that someone will beat me up if I do what I want. That won't happen but I keep feeling like it's unsafe to do what I do or what I want to do. What if people don't like it? What if people don't want it? What if people ignore it?
What if I fail? What do I do?
My suffering is so petty but why does it feel so desperately strong?
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Christopher Volkman's Renaissance
Looking like a smash up between The Matrix, Sin City, A Scanner Darkly, and Blade Runner, Christoper Volkman's Renaissance promises to be the new darling of fans of high brow, high concept films. Click the title to watch the English trailer. It's GORGEOUS.
Dead or Alive - Teaser Trailer
Yes, it's a video game movie. Yes, it looks like crap.
Yes, I can't wait. This looks so wonderfully bad that it has to be good. (And it's probably this way on purpose too. No one is going to take this seriously.)
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