The blog of some guy who thinks having a blog might be cool if he actual does something with it. I plan on review games, movies, plays, gadgets, ect. when I play, watch, or use them.
I downloaded Mega Man 9 the other night and have cursed more times playing that game than I have in the past year. S far I have beaten Concrete Man and Galaxy Man. Tonight, I attempted to beat Jewel Man, but, alas, I was not able to get to him. I only tried for two hours, though. I'll give it another go tomorrow and see how things pan out. I'll load up on some of those Shock Shield things cause it is the spikes that get me. Oh well. In other news, this past weekend I took advantage of the Gamestop "by two, get one free" sale on used games. I know, I know. I shouldn't buy used games. But I need to think economically. I bought Rock Band, Mass Effect, and Burnout Paradise: three games I have been meaning to buy but have been too cheap and time deprived to get. Before that, I bought and beat Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. I beat that in a couple of days. It wasn't a very good gametime to price ratio. I should have gone with Tales of Vesperia and waited for the price on SWFU to drop.
The Dark Knight is by far the best comic book movie adaptation ever made. It even gives every non-comic book movie a run for their money.
For the sake of objectivity, I should preface this review by saying that I am a big Batman fan. I enjoy comic books but do not buy a lot of them. When I do buy one, though, it is typically a Batman comic.
The Dark Knight is the sequel to the very well received Batman Begins (2005). Directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento, The Prestige), Batman Begins is a "reboot" of the DC/Warner Bros. Batman movie franchise that plummeted into the the realm of corny, cheesy, and poorly acted superhero movies. It tells the origin story of Batman: the death of his parents, his travels abroad, and his return to Gotham City. Batman Begins was able to stand out as a non-comic book movie comic book movie. In other words, one does not need to be a Batman fan to enjoy Batman Begins (or The Dark Knight for that matter) due to the exceptional story, acting, and directing.
The Dark Knight has all of the familiar faces from the previous movie. Christian Bale (American Psycho, The Machinist) returns as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Trusty butler Alfred is played by Michael Caine (uh... it’s Michael Caine), and Wayne's confidant Lucius Fox is played by Morgan Freeman (again, it’s freakin Morgan Freeman). Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes as Wayne's oldest friend and extremely brief romantic interest Rachel Dawes.
There a two big newcomers to the cast. The first is Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking) who plays newly elected district attorney Harvey Dent, the man destined to become the villain Two-Face. The second newcomer and the one with the most buzz about him due to his untimely death, is Heath Ledger (10 Things I Hate About You, Brokeback Mountain) playing the Batman’s ultimate chaos loving villain: the Joker.
The Dark Knight takes place approximately a year after Batman Begins. Batman’s example of an ordinary man taking a stand against corruption has triggered the people of Gotham to take up arms and fight. Several Batman wannabes attempt to stop drug deals and other petty crimes. The renewed faith in justice of Gotham’s citizens also paves the way for the election of a new district attorney that is willing to stand up and fight organized crime.
Gotham City is enjoying a new era of peace and prosperity. Enter the Joker, a psychopathic criminal genius who seems to have no other goals than to cause chaos. Money and power have no interest to the Joker. The only other thing that has any interest for the Joker is the Batman. Batman is a symbol of order, of a society with rules. The Joker is the complete antithesis of this. The Joker continues his wave of crime that was alluded to at the end of Begins. His escapades take him to testing not only the Batman, but the hearts of every Gotham citizen.
Going any deeper into the story could lead into spoiler territory, so let’s look at the performances. Christian Bale again takes the cake as the best Batman to appear on film. He is able to portray two distinct characters: the model dating, billionaire-playboy Bruce Wayne and the emotionless, calculating Batman. His Batman has clearly evolved since the previous film. He has become more the Batman that has an endless mission to safeguard Gotham and less the Bruce Wayne that died twenty years ago when his parents were shot in front of him. My only complaint this time around is that Bale’s Batman voice has become a little over the top. It sounds too forced and is at times painful to hear. Luckily, Batman is not much of a talker and does little to harm the movie or Bale’s performance.
Caine and Freeman continue to show why they are signed on to these huge movies, but there is nothing new to see. Of course, more of a good thing is a good thing. Gyllenhaal plays a better Dawes than Holmes did. Her timing and reactions are far more convincing. Gary Oldman, who plays Jim Gordon, Batman’s connection to the police department, does an even better job than he did in Batman Begins. There is less cheesy dialogue from him that was prevalent towards the end of Begins, but he has the only bit of cheesy dialogue in The Dark Knight.
Eckhart gives an amazing performance as Harvey Dent. He looks, sounds, and acts the part to the T. He is a noble white knight, as they call him in the film, that has a dark side. Trust me when I say the evolution he goes through shows the fantastic range of Eckhart’s abilities. I am looking forward to seeing him in the next movie more than any of the other characters.
Finally, there is the performance that the entire media is buzzing about: Heath Ledger’s final role.Ledger’s Joker delves into the darkest versions of the character’s comic book incarnations, most notably A Death in the Family and The Killing Joke. It is difficult to avoid comparing Ledger to Jack Nicholson, the actor who played the Joker in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. They are completely different, though. Nicholson was a goofy, fun loving mob boss. Ledger is scary. The details of his acting, the way he walks, how he places his hands, his laugh, every inflection he uses is perfectly crafted to create a man who has no humanity left in him. This performance would have put Ledger to the top of the Hollywood A-list in one fell-swoop. It is a tragedy to have lost such a gifted actor at his prime.
The Dark Knight is just as its title says: Dark. It is not your typical superhero movie. It is violent without being gory. It is a crime-drama/psychological thriller/non-stop action movie. There is literally no down time. The movie starts with a bang and does not stop for two and a half hours. It also uses a minimal amount of computer generated effects. Most of the effects are done practically, and it pays. The filming is beautiful (see it in Imax if you can) and the script is perfectly crafted. The way everything flows and connects constantly blew my mind. The Dark Knight is a must see movie for everyone except young children. It will entertain you. It will hurt you. It will also make you look inside yourself and seek out your true character. This is the kind of movie that only comes along once in a few years. It is worthy of Oscars in every category it can be nominated in. Go see it and be prepared to need a nap. It will drain you, but you may be on such a high buzz that you will probably not be able to fall asleep. I do not know if I can wait another three years for the next one. Ledger is irreplaceable, but the amount of talent on these movies will keep me wanting more. The Dark Knight satisfies every geek fantasy I have had for a Batman movie.
I have a couple of things that I want to say. 1) Fuck the MPA (Music Publishers' Association). The MPA has started a campaign to shut down music tablature sites claiming that they infinge on their licensing rights. If you don't know what a 'tab' is, it is a text file that shows one how to play a song on guitar (or bass or other instruments) without the musician having to know how to read sheet music. They are made by people who love music and want to share songs with others. Not everyone can figure out a song just by listening or watching a performance. These people just want to help others. Tabs are great for people who are beginners (like myself) or anyone who wants to know how to play their favorite song without having to pay. Granted, a majority of tabs are very bad, but they are still the only way for people like me to play music. The only other instrument I know how to play is the euphonium, and I don't think that I am going to buy one of those anytime soon. 2) Fuck the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America). The MPAA is trying to crack down on movie piracy. No big deal there... in theory. There is epidemic sweeping the country. A wretched disease that is destroying the movie going experience. How long does it take for a movie to begin now? You sit down in the theatre for a movie that says it is suppose to begin at 8:00. Thrirty miutes later the movie starts. Before then you are bombarded by commercial after commercial and then preview after preview. We are paying 1o dollars a seat for this? Why do they need to advertise if we are paying that much? Not to mention the cost of snacks. 3) Fuck the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). Where do I begin? The RIAA is suing 10 year old kids and 40 year old computer illiterat moms for illegally downloading music. They say that piracy is costing them millions of dollars. Hey, here's an idea to get people to buy more CDs: LOWER THE GODDAM PRICES! Do you really expect me to pay 18 dollars for 10 songs? WTF? The problem is not the college students downloading the new 50 Cent or whatever the fuck people listen to; it's you! "But Alex, why dont's you download music legally off of iTunes or another quality online music store?" I guess I'm going to have to add a number 4. 4) Fuck you. I've tried iTunes and Musicmatch and all I end up with is a file that is only allowed to be played on my computer at 3:15 in the morning while I'm wearing a chicken suit. People don't want DRM (Digital Rights Management) ont THEIR property. I bought it, I should be able to do whatever the fuck I want with it.
Now I don't download a whole lot of music. In fact, I buy more CDs than most of my friends. I've never downloaded a movie, and I only download television shows that I have missed (what's the difference from taping it or Tivoing it?) I just want these people to wake up and smell the changing times. Get a grip on the world people. Things need to change before we can't even whistle without paying $.99 for the right to do so.
What a load of crap. First of all, who the hell were all those people in the audience? It looks like they just hired a bunch of college chicks who have never played a game in their life to sit there and cheer. I mean what kind of gamer gets excited about Vin Diesel? Riddick was a good game but seriously. Kiefer Sutherland was there. At first I was interested, but it turns out he was just there to promote 24: The Game. That is when I saw Spike's VGAs for what they were: a shameless way to make money. For God's sake, 50 Cent's Bullet Proof was nominate for any category it could have been. Who the fuck thinks Bullet Proof is a good game? King Kong was nominated everywhere as well. It has received mediocre reviews but not award worthy ones. I stopped watching after about an hour so I have no idea who won much, not that it truly matters. Personally, I feel insulted. No self-respecting gamer should ever give Spike any credit from here on out, that is, if they ever did before. Celebrities and hot chicks is not what gaming is about. It is about people who want to create an amazing, entertaining, and fun experience and share it with people like them. It is about playing Halo for ten hours straight just to beat one level on Legendary and then playing it on easy with a friend and doing nothing but kill them. It is about the sense of accomplishment you feel when you kill Sephiroth or beat Ganon or perform a move so amazing in Ninja Gaiden that you have to put down the controller and think about what just took place. It is about playing a "fast game" of DotA that ends up lasting an hour and a half. And it is also about hot chicks. Wait. . . Anyway, in conclusion, to sum up, and any other phrase for ending a rant, do not watch Spike's VGAs. It is a waste of time and a disgrace to the videogame industry.
Them: You don't drink? Why not? Me: Cause I don't want to. Them: Why? Me: It just doesn't appeal to me. Them: Why not? Me: *Sigh* Because I don't like the thought of not being in control of my actions. Them: Huh? Me: Umm... it tastes bad. Them: Huh? Me: Hey, look over there! *walks away*
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Happy AIDS day everyone.
I'm still awake. 41 hours awake - 50 minutes asleep.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
I slept from about 10:05 to 10:55 this morning after my French class. That's 50 minutes of sleep to 33 hours of awake.
I'm still awake. The paper is done... or its at least as done as its gonna get.
The USC network sucks so it is a miracle that I am posting this. Of course, I have a research paper due Wednesday. I also have a group project due Wednesday and another due Thursday. 1 more week...
I gave blood today. Since I have type O, they asked me if I wanted to use the ALYX machine. It filters out red blood cells and then gives you the rest of your blood back. This way they are able to take twice as much blood as normal... is that a pony in my room? No, of course not. I must be a little woozy still. Its obviously a unicorn... I think I'm going to lie down now.
I spent almost all day today watching Red vs. Blue. I've known about it for a while but never took the time to watch it. I'm on episode 55 right now. I had one thing to do today, laundry, but I could not bring myself to do it. *Sigh*
Haven't posted in a while becasue I couldn't get on google and a few other websites (including blogger, who is owned by google). Sorry for all you millions of people who read this everyday when you wake up and then again before you go to sleep. Anyway, I volunteered at Epworth's Children's Carnival. Epworth is a children's home, and they put on a small Halloween carnival each year. I helped at one of the games. Kids kept asking if I was a real pirate. I thought that it was obvious that I was. I also had some problems getting this picture on my computer. Here is what happened when I plugged my computer in.
Oh, well. All is well now. Time to read Dr. Faustus.
