Film Review: Ben Hur (1959)

"A grown man knows the world he lives in." - Frank Thring

For more than 100 years, the tale of Ben Hur has staggered the imaginations of audiences worldwide, as indicated by its successful publication history, having at least three different film adaptations, and even a stage play adaptation.  Of all the exposure this story has received, much of its acclaim may be attributed to its famous 1959 film adaptation, which remains a classic in epic cinema, and a standard Easter holiday favorite.

Whether you've heard of Ben Hur or not, chances are good that you've seen this film referenced or mentioned somewhere in pop culture.  It stands as one of the biggest, most epic, most ambitious productions in cinema to date.  It's most impressive in how it employed thousands of extras, over a million props, and some very expensive and lavish setpieces to bring this larger-than-life tale to life.  Even if you aren't marveling at the sheer scope and scale of this film, the chariot race in the film's final act will have you at the edge of your seat.  It's a long, uncompromising, real-looking sequence that's still thrilling and intense, and it should stand as one of the best racing scenes of all time.  There is a really neat sea battle in the film's first half, which offers even more thrills and violence to behold.  For the most part, however, this is a film more heavily built on drama and characterization.  Parts of it remain enthralling, as we watch the title character suffer and fight his way through adversity.  However, in between the major turning events and the action scenes, the film's momentum does suffer a massive slump.  The pacing in certain scenes never agreed with me personally, and is really the only issue I take with this fine picture.

The story for this film is perfectly sound and well-built.  Judah Ben Hur is a well-rounded character we can follow easily enough and relate to; his rivalry with Messala provides the conflict to drive the plot forward, and digs up some interesting themes of vengeance and hatred.  What really propels the film above and beyond will be the story of Christ, running in tandem with Ben Hur's story; both storylines become entwined to reveal strong themes of redemption and salvation.  I have no clue how closely this adapts Lew Wallace's original novel, but on its own merits, this film offers a decently insightful story.

Captured with a sweeping widescreen frame on a pristine 70mm film stock, this film looks every bit as big as it is.  Just about every shot is carefully calculated to best present the imagery with incredible amounts of detail.  It uses a lot of long shots, which never felt all that intimate or interesting to me personally, but it is definitely a big-scale picture with lots of impressive shots.  Acting is pleasing; Charlton Heston plays Ben Hur with enough nuance and machismo to make the character cool and memorable.  The rest of the cast do their best.  Writing is not too bad either.  This production spares no expense on its massive sets, props, costumes, and visual effects.  Music is just as big and ambitious as the rest of the movie is.

For its sheer epicness and classic status, this film comes highly recommended.

4/5 (Entertainment:  Average | Story:  Very Good | Film:  Perfect)

Film Review: The Passion of the Christ

"The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again." - Luke, Chapter 24 Verse 7

The birth and death of Jesus has been covered thoroughly across many biblical epics, but there has always been a gleaming Hollywood polish to them.  If you look at films like Ben Hur or The Greatest Story Ever Told, there's surprisingly little passion in the Passion of the Christ; it's as if these films sugar-coat the events in favor of crafting a safe and fluffy audience-pleasing spectacle.  That's not to say that these films lack merit; on the contrary, they are most valuable for bringing the events to life in a manner that all Christians can identify with, young or old.  Their universal appeal makes them go-to classics, especially for Easter time.

In 2004, Mel Gibson dared to give us a portrayal of Jesus' death that is far more uncompromising, and arguably closer to what could have really happened.  The Passion of the Christ is not a colorful or happy affair; it's a harrowing experience that lingers on the cruelty and violence, constantly underscoring the hideous nature of mankind.  This is not an easy thing to watch; the camera tracks every blow Jesus takes, every cruel moment in which He is shamed and spit upon, every crack of the whip that breaks His flesh, and every hard step He takes toward Golgotha.  The film goes on and on, purposefully placing the audience into His footsteps so that we ultimately feel His agony and face the ugliness of what happened.  The film was highly controversial on its release, and remains so; many audiences can't stomach the brutality of the film, and would argue that such violence is unnecessary.  Many others have harped on the director's personal sensibilities, temperament, and antisemitism, arguing that the film is too hateful and purposefully asserts an antisemitic agenda.  Such criticisms have proven to be a source of heated debate, even to this day.

Regardless of how you regard this film, one thing is certain:  it is a uniquely intense experience that brings the events to life in a way that no other film before it has.  The Passion has a blunt but jarring and powerful cinematic experience that makes the characters and situations fresh and inspiring.  Even if you're intimately familiar with the story, the film takes some striking artistic liberties that reinforce the themes and ideas of the film sublimely.

The storytelling for this film is impeccable.  It follows the book of Luke practically word for word, but takes a few deviations to cover some important flashbacks that reinforce the characters and the messages of Jesus.  It's hard to know how close to reality the film comes, but it comes very close, especially in regards to its look, style, and language (it's mostly the violence that borders on being ridiculously overdone).  The film does a fantastic job of covering the passages of the Bible accurately, and emphasizing the importance of Jesus' sacrifice with tangible themes and messages.  By the film's end, after seeing so much cruelty being poured into Jesus, I really did have a much better understanding of the importance of His sacrifice and suffering, and it made the experience of the film most worthwhile in the long run.

Despite its artistic liberties and emphasis on violence, the film has a very strong and vivid style, with incredible photography and editing techniques.  Acting is decent; Jim Caviezel has limited dialogue to work with, but shows enough nuances in his physical performance to bring Jesus to life in a believable and distinctive manner.  The supporting cast is really decent as well.  Writing is effective, especially in the way it incorporates the Bible's words in with the drama.  The film is most notable for using authentic Aramaic and Latin dialogue.  This production uses some very detailed and real-looking sets, props, and costumes.  Music has an authentic feel to it as well; it's quite haunting, but at times it maintains a subtle sense of divinity.

I personally value The Passion the most for its powerful, vivid presentation, and for helping me understand the significance of Jesus' sacrifice in a refreshingly bold context.  For its brutal violence and arguable antisemitic overtones, this is not a film I would universally recommend to audiences; the best I can say is that if you think you can stomach the experience, you should at least give it a try.  You may find this film rewarding.

5/5 (Experience:  Perfect | Story:  Perfect | Film:  Perfect)

This film is on my list of Top 100 Favorite Films at #8.

Writing: Plotting "Prometheus" Style

So I finally got around to re-watching the film Prometheus, and I took the time to investigate the bonus features on the Blu-Ray disc.  If you get the full-blown 4-disc edition, you'll be gifted with a bonus disc with a massive four hour documentary, which details every step of the film's production process.  This includes some insight on the writing process behind Prometheus, with screenwriters John Spaihts and Damon Lindelof describing how they condensed all their (and Ridley Scott's) ideas into a final draft.  It took months of work and multiple drafts to iron out the final script and get the story straightened out.

A branching segment of the Prometheus documentary provided an insightful little secret that I realized could benefit all writers who may be struggling to get their own stories off the ground.  As the writers for Prometheus indicated, every writing project will have different blocks and different levels of difficulties, and it's very much true.  There are some stories I can blast through pretty easily while keeping track of everything in my head.  But when you start adding on multiple characters, concepts, scenes, settings, and more, it can be easy to lose track of what's going on.

To mitigate such a problem, one of the writers made up a board game of sorts, and "gamed" his way through the plot for Prometheus.  Using a homemade board, checker pieces, and other tokens, he would move the characters around in the different settings as the story progressed.  He flipped the tokens to indicate if a character becomes infected or mutated.  He removed them if they were killed.  He also used pieces to keep track of where certain locations (such as the medical bay) were located, especially since some of them were mobile.  With half a dozen different characters being juggled around in this movie, this process allowed the writer to make sure he knew where each person was at a given time, and what they were doing at their locations.

If you're having difficulty trying to figure out your own plot lines, why not give this method a try? A board or mat, some game pieces, or even just slips of paper, will allow you to tangibly manipulate your plot and make sure you can keep track of your characters.  It may not need to be as elaborate as a game board; you could cut up index cards and arrange them on a table.  You could try outlining the plot.  Different approaches may benefit different stories; the best I can tell you is to experiment with hands-on tools to see if anything can help you, the way it helped the writers of Prometheus.

For more information, check out the special features disc for the film Prometheus, and play the documentary The Furious Gods:  Making Prometheus.  Ensure that the expanded experience option is on, and about 30 - 45 minutes into the program, push enter when the prompt appears, for the video segment entitled The Prometheus Board Game.

Writing: How to Describe a Room

I've noticed lately in the stats that people have been actively searching for "how to describe a room." Even though I had done a writing prompt that called for using the description of a room, I never did go over the particulars of describing locations.  So for anybody looking for some specific answers, here are my thoughts on describing interior settings, for fiction and prose.

First and foremost, you got to ask yourself, what importance is the room or setting to the story or characters? If the room is only there for a brief passing scene, it may just suffice to say "so-and-so went into the broom closet.  It was dark, cramped, and loaded with brooms." That may be all you need.

For more significant settings, where you really do want to paint the picture in the readers' heads and firmly establish a sense of space or ambiance, then of course you'll want to dig into more details.  The key issue here is that you don't want to overdo it.  Unless you're typing out an architectural report or something, there's no real need for a reader to understand the full dimensions of the space, or what the composition of the walls are, or anything technical like that.  You will want to cover the overall impression of space, color, mood, atmosphere, furnishings, props, and anything else, as long as it's distinctive, relevant, and contributes to the story or image in some way.

The objects in a room - furniture and stuff - may or may not factor into your scene.  If you say that people are in the living room, chances are that the reader will automatically populate the room with their own idea of what a living room will have:  likely a sofa, a TV, etc.  So there may not be a need to describe what furniture is in that room, especially if such furnishings are not going to be actively used.  On the other hand, if the characters are going to use something, it may be necessary to establish such things early in the scene, so the reader can understand that the given thing exists and the characters aren't just making it materialize.  For example, if characters are in a room with a gun on the table, and one of the characters grabs the gun and uses it, it'll help to explain right away that there is indeed a gun on the table.  Otherwise, it'll sound like the gun just magically appeared on the table.  It may not be necessary for some things (grabbing a knife from the kitchen would be self-explanatory), but this kind of thing should be set up for everything else that isn't so obvious.

You'll also want to describe things if they're not usually associated with a given place.  For example, in Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, some living rooms had expensive lawns in them, with actual soil and grass growing in the middle of the room.  It was important to describe them, because the characters used the indoor lawns, and even commented on them.  Later in the story, one of these lawns was ruined.  It serviced the story (plus, an average reader will not associate grass in a common living room).  For sci-fi and fantasy stories, where settings are imagined and re-imagined more vividly, more description may be necessary to paint a picture of a futuristic or otherworldly setting in the readers' heads.

Another thing to consider will be what the items of a room, or its decor and layout, says about the characters.  If the room is messy, you can conclude that the character is disorganized, and thus you find another way to show a character trait.  Or, if the room has expensive art, you can infer that a character has refined tastes (or maybe he just pretends to).  The possibilities on this level are limitless; if a detail is relevant to a character, you will want to capitalize on it.

In the end, however, all of this will depend on your own personal writing style.  Different writers will write settings in different ways.  Wordy writers like Stephen King or JRR Tolkein could spend pages and pages talking about the stuff in their rooms; James Patterson never seems to describe any of his settings, especially if they're common places.  Really, the best advice I could give is to simply approach the scene naturally, and write out the first things that come to mind.  If nothing comes to mind, just proceed with the scene in the given setting with sparse details; chances are that you don't need details anyway.  If you're compelled to say more about the setting, then try indulging in such details as your imagination allows, and see what comes out.  It should be a natural occurrence; if you're stuck on describing a place, it might be best to just skip ahead, write the next scene, and go back in the rewriting session to see if you really need to add anything more.

And when it comes to your own writing style, there is no set way to describe a place.  It's not like you go through a room step-by-step to introduce the walls, floors, furnishings, etc to a reader.  If anything, this will come off as dry, long, and uninteresting.  If you have to explain every little thing about a room, it would be better to break up the exposition with action or dialogue; you have to keep the story moving, and lingering on interior design may stall plot progression.  You also don't want to make the language describing the room overly dry or overly flowery; just use your natural narration. 

In summary...

Do:

• Keep it simple.
• Talk about colors, patterns, decor, and unique architectural details, if they're relevant.
• Talk about furnishings and props, especially if characters use them.
• Talk about anything in the room if it reveals something about the characters within. 
• Talk about space.
• Talk about unique details that readers may not usually associate with a given place (especially for sci-fi and fantasy works, where the settings are purposefully different anyway).
• Describe it naturally with your own personal writing style and sensibilities.

Don't:

• Get technical or overly-explicit.
• Divulge in unnecessary details.
• Tell about room's atmosphere or impression; show it instead.
• Overthink or overdo things.
• Dump details in one long paragraph.
• Describe things in a dull, dry, choppy, or uninteresting manner; use your natural narrative voice.
• Describe things that the reader will already assume for a given place, especially if such things don't contribute to the story.

For some examples, here are some excerpts from my own projects, with varying levels of description (not to mention varying levels of skill and nuance).  I think you'll find that I'm very light in details, and just give just enough to keep things flowing.  Chances are that I may break my own rules above (I've always been pretty bad at "showing not telling"), because it's as much of a learning process for me as it is for everybody else.

From Rider of the White Horse, Chapter 25
I wrote this story as far back as high school; I've always felt this was a very amateurish story with a weak writing style, but it's serviceable and got the job done.  The description here is pretty bland, doesn't say much, and quite understated.

           Kurt walked towards the old man, and he followed him through the ruins of Tokyo to a squat abandoned building a quarter of a mile away. There, the old man led Kurt into a relatively clean room with cupboards, a single mattress on the floor, and a low table. The old man lit a candle that was on the table with a makeshift lighter. The candle illuminated the room, revealing the old man’s face to Kurt.
           The old man went to the corner of the room, where a tub of water sat idle. Kurt noticed that the man rigged a purification system over the tub, allowing him access to relatively clean water. The man took some water and some leaves he had stored in a cupboard. Then he prepared two cups of tea, working diligently with trembling old hands. Kurt sat at the low table and watched as the old man prepared the tea, observing the man’s technique as he mixed ingredients and stirred them in wooden cups.

From Perfectly Inhuman, Chapter 3
This is one of my most recent works. I did take the time to describe this area in bigger detail, to give the reader a lavish and futuristic picture. It reflects on the power and wealth of the Mayor and his government.  Hopefully, you'll get the impression of wide-open spaces, luxury, and cleanliness.

           At the topmost floor, the city became a mere map beneath Mary. The doors opened, and the guards pushed her out.
           She found herself in a large lobby. The floors were made of colored tiles arranged in jagged patterns, and the walls were made of glass, revealing additional views of the city and the mountains to the east. A frosted glass partition separated the lobby from a private office. Silk banners hung from the ceiling. Polished stone pedestals held golden and silver statues portraying nude men and women. Everything in the room was rich and lavish; Mary found herself awed, and envious that she never had a place so luxurious.
           The guards guided her through a set of glass doors in the frosted glass partition, and they passed into a wide open office space. The office looked much like the lobby, only instead of statues and banners there were holograms and display screens. Contrasting with the bright floors and the bright exterior view, there was a black desk on one end of the room, made of a rare dark organic wood.

From Ouroboros:  Demon-Blood, Chapter 11
This is one story I've worked with on and off; I've been a little wordier with this series of stories than with most others, to try and immerse the audience in a more detailed fantasy world.  Hopefully, you'll get the feeling of seeing something different and fantastic (and possibly wicked) with this segment.  Note that the term Svartálfar comes from ancient Norse myth, referring to a race of Dark Elves.

           In the middle of the woods, the Svartálfar had constructed a large settlement. It was surrounded by a thick wooden wall, studded with huge wooden thorns and metal spikes. The area around the wall was cleared of all vegetation, so that it could not be scaled with nearby trees. There were trees on the other side of the wall, which had platforms and turrets for guards to stand watch on. The settlement’s gate was a thick wooden door with iron supports; it swung open for us as we approached.
           Inside the settlement, the Svartálfar used most of the trees as buildings; they were all hollowed-out to serve as homes, stairwells, storage, and stores. They also had small wooden shacks and huts in between the trees. Some buildings were also constructed on the sides of trees and on their branches. There were scores of elves bustling around, trading with their craftsmen, mentoring their children, and practicing with their weapons. When I entered the town, they all stopped to gawk at me; I met their gazes with my own look of contempt.
           In the middle of the settlement, there was a larger tree, surrounded by a wooden wall with turrets all along it and a single gateway. I was led through the gate toward the base of the tree, which had an expansive hall jutting out of its bark. Passing into the hall, I stepped across a polished stone floor; the hall’s curved walls were ornately carved with elfin runes and mosaics. Twisted pillars held up the ceiling. At the end of the hall was the throne of the Svartálfar king, Lord Hygric. It was a large throne ordained with pieces of gold, silver, gems, and there were skulls hanging above it.

Film Review: Wizard of Oz (1939)

"If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why oh why cant I?" - Judy Garland
--------------------
This film is one of the most quintessential classics of cinema.  Chances are that you've seen it aired every Thanksgiving, or you've seen clips of it all over the place, of you've heard the songs sung and resung, or you've seen parodies.  The Wizard of Oz has become so ingrained in American culture that the film, its scenes, its characters, its music, its dialogue, and just about everything is instantly recognizable and endearing.

To be perfectly honest, this is a really short and silly film.  The comedy, especially with so many silly lines, is still hilarious to this day.  There is peril and adventure in short bursts, and such scenes have become seriously iconic.  Frequently catchy musical numbers add to the overall whimsey of the picture.  There's hardly a dull moment in this film, and most moments are memorable and fun.

The story is a short and simple affair.  It takes a stretch to believe something this fantastic, but the film plays things so straight that it successfully immerses the audience.  Characters aren't terribly deep or fleshed-out, but they stand out really well.  In the end, it's the themes that count.  On one hand, it's a fundamental fantasy adventure:  the classic there-and-back-again tale, in which the characters embark on their journey and come back stronger and wiser.  With the film's ending, such themes are made even stronger, when it's revealed that it may have all been in Dorothy's dream.  The big reveal for the actual wizard of Oz is also a thematically strong moment, as it underscores a key theme regarding magic and imagination; it's a theme that not only extends to the characters of the story, but also reaches beyond the screen and demonstrates movie-making magic on a fundamental level.  If there's any thematic weakness, it's purely in the very very end, when Dorothy concludes that it's much better to stay at home than it is to have an adventure (she almost makes it sound like she'll be a recluse from then on, which kinda defeats the purpose of everything, in my opinion).

This film is well-filmed with steady and solid photography.  It's most distinctive for utilizing both black-and-white and color photography together, to create a stark contrast between reality and fantasy.  Acting is extremely goofy and over-the-top, but it all works for the film's benefit.  It's always a hoot to watch Margaret Hamilton as the iconic villain, while Judy Garland and the rest of the cast provide much zeal and spirit to their roles.  Writing is pretty silly, but it builds the story really well and features some very memorable lines.  This production uses some rather limited sets, props, and costumes, many of which are outlandish and very fake-looking, but provide enough of an illusion to craft a vibrant spectacle with limited resources.  Music is catchy and memorable.

This movie is a must-see, if for no other reason than for its prestige and popularity throughout the decades.  Highly recommended!

4.5/5 (Entertainment:  Very Good | Story:  Good | Film:  Very Good)

Film Review: Oz: The Great and Powerful

"I don't want to be a good man...I want to be a great man." - James Franco

One key thing the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz proved is that movie magic and magic in movies go hand-in-hand.  This might be a mild spoiler, but most of us know by now that the actual wizard of Oz was never a real wizard, but a con-artist who used machines and gimmicks to wow the inhabitants of Oz into submission.  It's also an interestingly insightful reflection on filmmaking itself, with the filmmakers fulfilling the exact same role as the wizard; they use camera tricks, elaborate sets, costumes, and special effects to bring the fantasy to life before the audience, and trick us all into believing that Oz can be a real place with real people.  Even though the film is incredibly fake-looking and laughably cheesy, it's become cemented as an endearing classic in American cinema; it's an impressive feat that this 70+ year old classic still captures audiences' imaginations.

Obviously, nothing can top the 1939 Wizard of Oz.  The 2013 prequel, Oz:  The Great and Powerful, follows into the modern trend of taking classic fairy tales and giving them an epic-scale treatment (along the same lines as Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and yesteryear's Snow White and the Huntsman).  It is on that level that O:TGAP should be evaluated; it's a big, large-scale remix of the classic Wizard of Oz elements with a massive CGI spectacle.

The most critical of audiences probably won't be impressed, but I personally felt that this film is decently entertaining.  It has action and peril, especially in the last act; the final battle in Emerald City offers a satisfying climax with plenty of spectacle, but without overdoing things that much.  I was thrilled to see the witches fighting, and it was pretty cool.  Even though CGI is dispensed liberally throughout the feature with mixed results, it is a visually striking experience at times.  There is a lot of silly humor thrown about as well, which may come off as a hit or a miss.  Overall, it is a whimsical adventure that made me smile at times, and kept my interest all the way through.

The film's most redeeming quality will be it story.  The actual plot is somewhat derivative - it's pretty much the exact same formula as the 2010 Alice in Wonderland - and the story is predictable, especially if you know what happens in the classic Oz film.  Still, long-time fans will geek out at all the Wizard of Oz references, and this film does a fine job of establishing the characters and concepts that would ultimately lead up to the original movie.  The film has a number of one-dimensional side characters who could have benefited from more development.  However, the wizard takes the spotlight throughout, and the film does a great job of establishing his character, showing his growth and development, and ultimately tying in the classic themes of magic, imagination, and belief with the story's pathos.  It's not the same meta-theme that went into the old film, but this film uses it in a fashion that supports the story, and makes it just as interesting.

This film features pretty solid and distinctive photography.  You can bet that the opening scenes are black-and-white, and rest is color, just like the original film.  It even uses a smaller, square aspect ration, until the actual Oz scenes, where the screen expands magically.  Some shots are pretty wild, a few shots swung pretty heavily side-to-side, and plenty of other shots reminded me a lot of the Peter Jackson Middle Earth films, thanks to the frequent sweeping and movements.  Editing is not bad.  Acting is generally satisfying:  James Franco won't impress everyone, but I felt his portrayal was appropriately showy and boisterous, and fit the character very well.  Mila Kunis is regarded as the odd one out, and I'll admit that she did seem out of place at first, but I enjoyed her performances in the second half.  Rachel Weisz is as great as ever, and it's hard not to love Michelle Williams.  Writing is not too bad.  This production has fine and dandy sets, props, and costumes, which mostly match up well with the original Oz film.  Special effects look great in some spots, not so great in others.  Music has its moments too.

As expected from a Sam Raimi film, Oz:  The Great and Powerful is a bright, colorful, humorous adventure with whimsey and zeal.  It comes best recommended to non-discerning popcorn flick fans, families, and Wizard of Oz fans.

4/5 (Entertainment:  Good | Story:  Good | Film:  Good)

Video Game Review: Tomb Raider (2013)

"A famous explorer once said, that the extraordinary is in what we do, not who we are. I'd finally set out to make my mark, to find adventure. But instead adventure found me. In our darkest moments, when life flashes before us, we find something. Something that keeps us going. Something that pushes us. When all seemed lost, I found a truth. And I knew what I must become." - Camilla Luddington

After something like eight video games and two feature films, the Tomb Raider series has established itself as one of the most quintessential adventure game of all time, and it cemented Lara Croft as an icon comparable to Indiana Jones.  The problem is, every game offers more of the same:  Lara Croft was a virtually invincible killing machine who could climb and jump off of every impossible surface and survive every insurmountable challenge unscathed.  It all made for good fun adventure, but much like Lara's figure, it was also rather unrealistic, exaggerated, and shallow.

Now, in 2013, Tomb Raider has been officially rebooted with a dramatically different twist.  In this daring prequel, Lara Croft is not the invincible heroine as shown in previous games.  The younger Lara has been designed to be vulnerable, inexperienced, perhaps even a little naive.  She suffers a massive learning curve, as she suffers the wilderness and the full brunt of human cruelty.  It's the experience that would toughen her and shape her into the tomb raider we all know and love, and it does make for one heck of a gaming experience.

Things start off really dire, as Lara is shipwrecked, and you spend the first few hours of the game going over the basics:  finding shelter, getting warm, finding food, and escaping danger.  There are a few quick-time events to get through at first, but after that initial area, the game opens up wonderfully.  You're given mostly-free reign of the island of Yamatai:  progression is still very linear, and if you follow the main path, you could finish the main story in a very short time (based on other gamers' remarks, probably within 10 - 20 hours).  However, each area is big enough to harbor a number of challenges and collectables that can keep you exploring for hours more; it can be very rewarding to scour the island in search of treasures, salvage, GPS cashes, and hidden tombs.  As with any Tomb Raider game, you can expect lots of climbing and acrobats as well; Lara handles these sections awkwardly at first, but as things go on, she becomes very fluid, agile, and she turns it into a satisfying challenge.  When the combat hits, it's just as satisfying; whether using firearms, the classic bow and arrow, or simple melee, you can definitely feel empowered, but without being over or under challenged.  There are some things that remain out of the player's control - you can't manually duck, crawl, take cover, or sprint - but the game automatically does these things in reaction to your movements and the environment, and it is extremely fluid.  Between the exploration and combat, I never really wanted to quit this game at all; it really keeps you going.

A lot of the appeal, however, lies in the story.  As mentioned above, this is the developer's chance to flesh out a more realistic and invoking character; Lara will often express pain, cry, hesitate, and turn every step of the journey into an epic struggle for survival.  She also learns, grows, and becomes stronger with each passing chapter.  She shows a strong will and determination to move on through the most dire of circumstances and survive.  And that ultimately leads to her transformation into the Lara Croft we all know and love, and it is a strongly invoking journey.

It's made all the more invoking with its sheer cruelty.  Easily the most brutal game of the series, Lara is pitted against some of the meanest and nastiest men ever rendered in a game; it almost comes across as misogynistic at times.  This ultimately contributes to the experience, because every time Lara has a misstep or falls into a trap, it feels like a huge "holy crap!!!" moment.  As the plot progresses, things get more crazier and outlandish, with even some supernatural elements coming out of the woodwork.  There's still a semblance of a classic Tomb Raider adventure beneath the grimy, dirty surface, but it is a far more intense, more realistic, more pathos-driven story than any before it.

The game has some of the most impressive graphics I've seen in a while; the environments are beautifully-rendered, with thick and dense forests, mountains, ruins, and catacombs, all with phenomenal detail and particle effects.  Characters are especially gorgeous; there are times when they look close to real.  Voice-acting is pretty decent from the cast, and the game is quite well-written.  The game is built with intricate depth and detail, and the levels are ingeniously-designed.  Sound and music are good too.

While the previous games in this series have offered a fun bit of adventure, the 2013 Tomb Raider offers something more:  an real and deep storytelling experience that really immerses the player in the action and danger, and brings Lara Croft to life in a brilliant and more invoking fashion.  Highly recommended!

5/5 (Entertainment:  Perfect | Story:  Very Good | Game:  Very Good)

Book Review: Sahara (Clive Cussler)

"This was pure desert with not a growing thing in sight.  Low brown dunes rose like warts as far as Pitt could see, separated by small valleys of brilliant white sand.  Only toward the west did a high plateau of rock rise above the desert floor.  It was treacherous country, and yet there was a beauty about it that was difficult to describe." - Clive Cussler

You know what you get with one of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels, and there's a reason why Cussler is dubbed the "Grandmaster of Adventure." In addition to all the action in each story, they entwine history, archeology, and peril in a manner that could put Indiana Jones to shame.  With Sahara, you get more of the same...a lot more.  This epic, sprawling story takes Dirk Pitt and his gang to the titular desert, where they confront evil corporations and a violent military dictator using massive amounts of firepower.  There are at least several moments where Dirk, or a special forces unit, or a whole army, marches around and blows things up with guns, rockets, jet fighters, boats, trains, and just about everything else imaginable.  Dirk even manages to find a classic car in the middle of it all (again).  With the Sahara desert as the setting and theme, the characters also have to struggle against the searing hot desert and abrasive conditions, presenting even more challenges.  Sahara presents huge helpings of conflicts and challenges, in everything from the environmental hazards to the political intrigue.  The book might be one of the most action-packed stories I've read, and it's a darn fun read that way.

The story plays out pretty similarly to the other Dirk Pitt adventures.  It's most notable for raising its stakes as high as it possibly could, going so far as to endangering the entire world and putting it all on the main characters' shoulders.  Also given the weight of humanitarian aid and coping with the desert, there are moments where it really feels like an intense, drawn-out struggle, and it helps make the readers care for the characters and events.

That being said, there is plenty to nitpick about the story.  Characters are as fun as always - Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino load up every scene with their wit and machismo - but they are still pretty flat and unchanging.  The story is quite incredulous at times; it never loses its readers, but it's a little hard to believe that NUMA could become so heavily involved with international politics, going so far as to incite the UN and US to send tactical combat units and such.  It's even more of a stretch to believe that a Civil War vessel crossed the Atlantic and became buried in the Sahara.  Regardless, the book plays these things out so straight that it's easy for a non-discerning reader to go with the flow and accept the story on its own terms.

Cussler's writing is generally smooth and easy to read, if not a little plain and dry.  He does have a tendency to use  certain cliches, and there were times where I noticed some odd misuse of quote marks.  Regardless, the man does a great job of describing his characters, describing the action, and describing the substantial history and relevant facts revolving around the elements and settings of the story.

Clive Cussler fans should certainly be satisfied to read this story, as should fans of adventure writing in general.  Casual readers might get a kick out of it too, just don't expect anything tremendously deep or moving.

4/5 (Entertainment:  Very Good | Story:  Pretty Good | Book:  Pretty Good)

Film Review: Wreck-It Ralph

"I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be than me." - John C. Reilly

Gotta love video games. Whether looking at the retro arcade games in their 8-bit glory, or the modern high-definition open-world sandboxes, games have always had a fantastic ability to transport the player into a whole new world, and give them full power and control to explore it, change it, and maybe even wreck it.

In light of this, Wreck-It Ralph is a fun animated adventure somewhat reminiscent of such films as Bolt or Finding Nemo, albeit set in the world of arcade games. Chances are good that you'll geek out at seeing such familiar characters as Qbert, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pacman, and various other classic characters. And, hey, is that a Metal Gear reference I see? Could this one scene be a spoof off of Halo? There's a wealth of geeky references and comedic nuances involved with the arcade world, and the film works with it the best it can.

Regardless, the film isn't all third-party software. It does set up its own environments, each one highly detailed and imaginative, and the film sets up its own rules that sets things up for a very thrilling storyline. In addition to some splendid eye candy, the film does have plenty of action and peril, and it does have some amusing comedy. Even if you're not an avid gamer, audiences of all ages can relate to the lighthearted spirit of the film.

The story is quite decent and clever. The plot builds itself really well on the characters, who prove to be the most endearing aspect of the film. The film digs up some strong and heartwarming themes of self discovery and being yourself.  In fact, Wreck-It Ralph shares much in common with the stories for Megamind and Despicable Me, since all three films showcase bad guys who are proud to be evil, but wind up being lovable.  Such themes, and a few emotionally strong scenes, help make the film stand out above most other CGI-animated films.

As a CGI-animated film, it looks great, with smooth animation and highly-detailed renderings. Voice-acting is decent, and the writing is pretty fun. This film has a plethora of fun and excellent designs for the characters, locations, props, and costumes. Music is quite fun too.

Recommended.

4.5/5 (Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Film: Very Good)

Writing: Creating New Words With Scrabble!

One of the biggest blocks for me when writing will be in trying to find the right name for something.  I frequently have to stop in the middle of a good stream of consciousness when I realize I have a new character that requires a catchy new name, and then I spend minutes or hours trying to come up with something good.  Other times, I might have to stop when I realize I need a name for a setting (like a specific building, a store, a town, a city, a country, a planet, a galaxy, etc), or a faction (such as a nation, a corporation, an alien race, a make-believe kingdom, etc).  I might also have to stop to find unique names for made-up natural elements, weapons, artifacts, substances, food, drinks, starships, vehicles, and any number of other props a story may call for.  A given story may require so many names, it's not even funny.

It's handy to have a database or notebook on hand full of names or words you discover that you may want to use.  Maybe you see a name somewhere that catches your eye; record it for later, and you can refer to it immediately when you realize that you need a name (or if you suddenly find the perfect place to use that specific name).  Using a notebook or database can be handy for recording day-to-day encounters with new words and ideas, but if you're looking to create a whole new name or word that you won't find on planet Earth, you'll be hard-pressed to find a real-life situation that would prompt you to write such a word down.  If you're so deep into sci-fi and fantasy like I am, you'll want to collect some words that are outlandish to some degree.

After playing through so many rounds, I discovered that the board game Scrabble can be a useful tool for writers in need of words that don't really exist.  In the course of a normal game, as I shuffle around the seven letters, I often come up with all kinds of weird and cool-sounding terms that I realize could mean something.  I make it a point to write down such words, and then record them into a database so I can use it later.

Scrabble letters can help you create new words to name new things.  Maetherion is a word I came up with as the name of a futuristic corporation.

If you want, you could just dump the letters on a table and start playing around with them.  Doing so might allow you to come up with an infinite number of words with an unlimited length.  The only thing is, with so many letters making such long words, it may be harder to find anything of use.  Finding such words while playing the game allows you to come up with good short words at a more randomized, more unexpected, and perhaps more inspiring fashion.  You'd probably want to dump the letters and play with them when you're in need of something right away; if you're not really looking for a new word, and just want to start building up a list of words you might want to use, then it might help you more to play the game normally.

The biggest thing to look for is simply what catches your eye.  If you look down and realize, hey, Oogaboo could be the name of a person, place, or thing in your story, then use it.  Through Scrabble, I've managed to find and use such crazy words as:

• Bloodeye:  used as the name of a character in a short story I've been writing about dudes hunting monsters. 
• Deh:  could be used as a slang word, possibly as a replacement for "duh."
• Hiffemens:  could be used as the name of a medicine.
• Hyron:  could be used as the name of a fictional, undiscovered particle or molecular compound.
• Naetoma:  could be used as the name of a car racing championship (probably because it sounds so close to Daytona).
• Pelona:  could be used as a person's name.
• Rukenada:  used as the name of my Night Elf Hunter on World of Warcraft.  See, these words have use beyond writing too!
• Vykara:  used as the name of an evil dark queen in my work in progress, Demon-Blood.

Once you find the words and record them, it'll be up to you to determine what you'll want to use them for.  A lot of it will depend on connotation; the way a word sounds and the way it looks will imply something specific.  A nonsense word like Neeno might be fitting for a puppy or kitten, but its connotation is probably too cutesy for a Viking warrior or something.  At the same time, naming a kitten Bloodaxe might not make much sense either.  Then again, doing so would be hilarious, and if that's what you intend, then go for it.

Other times, a given word may appear so much like a word that already exists, and it might just be natural to make the connection.  For example, the word Naetoma is listed above, and I said it would be a good name for a car race, because it's so similar to Daytona.  Also, the name Vykara looks so close to words like Valkyrie or Vampire that it lends itself pretty easily to a more wicked connotation.  It would also help to be mindful of prefixes and suffixes.  For example, if I have the word Tik, and I decide to add neuro in front of it, then neurotik might be a good term for a mental disorder of some kind.

Also be mindful that not all weird-sounding words are nonexistent.   You might think that words like zarf or zax are nonsense words, but they are actual words (zarf is a type of chalice, a zax is a tool used for roofing).  You could always use a dictionary or Internet search to double-check and see if a word is already a word, of if it's being used somewhere else.

There can be a lot of thought and calculation that goes into naming all the different things in a story, but making up these words and figuring out their connotations ahead of time can help save time during drafting.

Manga Review: Clover (CLAMP)

"They say a four-leaf clover brings happiness." - commonly held belief referenced on cover page

I was drawn toward this massive volume of manga, partly because of its cover, partly because of the acclaim of the writers (CLAMP is a highly-tutted group responsible for such series as X, Chobits, xxxHolic, and more), and because this is a series that went out of print for the longest time, and was finally assembled in full by Dark Horse Manga.  This volume is also notable for presenting the complete series in its proper back-cover-to-front-cover, right-to-left format as was originally intended.  It also contains a number of pages with bonus full-color artwork on glossy paper, making the volume even more worth the money.

The manga itself is a pretty decent and fun read.  It's not too dense or complicated at all; it took me just a couple of hours to read all five hundred pages.  Most of the action will be in the first volume, which represents the main bulk of the story's conflicts.  It portrays an interesting universe that's highly futuristic, but also very retro, like a cross between cyberpunk and steampunk.  There are quite a few pursuits and fights in the first volume, building up a a simple yet thrilling storyline.  I found it a little tricky trying to understand the characters and what was going on, but then the remaining volumes of the manga goes backwards to reveal the full background of the events.  The action dies down substantially as the drama increases in the later volumes; it makes for a rather anticlimactic story arc.

However, it does prove to be a rather strong story, thanks to the flashbacks provided.  The later volumes provide so much to the characters, story, and concepts that it makes the first action-packed volume all the more compelling.  Above all, I realized that the characters are compelling, and I grew to care for them by the end of the book.  It helps make the more tragic scenes stand out stronger, so the manga does have a fair amount of emotional punch.  It also helps that the story boasts a number of interesting concepts and ideas, and plays off of them to support the overall story.

My only real complaint is that the story could have been arranged differently.  I felt it would have been more prudent to provide the flashbacks either before the main story, or intermixed with it.  As it is, with all the background shoved at the end, it left me feeling a little lost during the main conflict, and it felt like it trailed off at the end.

The manga has decent writing.  It gets a little melodramatic, especially with its constant repeating of the clover song sung by the main characters, and the constant repeating of phrases like "I want happiness."  Still, the book does strike an appropriately poetic and dramatic tone, which I suspect could be adapted into a really awesome anime or film.  Artwork is phenomenal, featuring plenty of fantastic-looking scenes and settings.  Characters are well-drawn and quite distinctive.

Overall, I was quite happy with this compilation.  Recommended.

4.5/5 (Entertainment:  Good | Story:  Very Good | Book:  Very Good)

Film Review: Beasts of the Southern Wild

"Everybody loses the thing that made them. It's even how it's supposed to be in nature." - Quvenzhané Wallis

This is a rather strange animal of a film, but it definitely has a certain charm to it.  It's a rough and dirty-looking film, taking place in strange environment that's simultaneously filthy and endearing.  It's full of tough characters who straddle the threshold between being lovable and totally unlikable.

What makes the film so endearing will likely be its focus on the main character, a little girl named Hushpuppy.  Her sweet, childish perspective contrasts so sharply with the settings and the tough love her father dishes out, it creates a unique bittersweet experience.  With its short runtime, the film rarely drags, and it gives just enough of everything to dip the viewers into the world of the Bathtub and make them understand Hushpuppy's simple and elegant philosophies.

The story for this is pretty weird, if you stop to think about it.  Since it never really shows civilization of any kind on screen, I was left wondering if this was meant to be a fantasy world entirely of its own, a vision of the near-future, or just a real modern-day setting.  If it's the former, I find it rather incredulous that a place like the Bathtub could exist and sustain human life.  Regardless, the film does make the place look appealing, as the characters show a lively spirit and revelry in their natural environments.  The characters tend to be mean, especially the father figure of the story, but it's all designed to emphasize a tough love aspect, and to underscore a strict nature-vs-nurture theme.

Thanks to some of the metaphorical imagery on-screen and the dialogue, the film covers some interesting thematic ground regarding humanity's connection to nature.  It makes us out to be raw, primal, animalistic beings.  At the same time, the film offers a message that will either make or break the film for viewers:  it has a blatant political resemblance to the hurricane Katrina disaster.  Chances are that you might watch the film and consider it naive, or possibly pretentious.  I personally did not catch on to the political parallels of the story, so it did not affect my impression of the film that much.  If anything, I felt it was subtle.

Using some herky-jerky camera work, the film looks appropriately gritty and rough.  Despite the shakey camera, it never reached cogitating levels for me.  Acting is decent; I found Dwight Henry rather unlikable as the father, but Quvenzhané Wallis gave an exceptionally noteworthy performance.  Writing is simple, but effective.  This production makes the best out of its low-grade settings, props, and costumes, and features some decent special effects.  Music carries the appropriate style and atmosphere for the film.

I felt this film is everything that Where The Wild Things Are tried so hard to do, but wound up failing at.  The two would probably go good together, but I much prefer this original feature.

Recommended.

4/5 (Entertainment:  Good | Story:  Pretty Good | Film:  Very Good)

Film Review: Lincoln

"If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong." - Abraham Lincoln

With all the praise and accolades Stephen Spielberg's latest film received, I was compelled to watch Lincoln and see for myself how great it is.

The film definitely has its bright spots.  History buffs might relate to the film the best; those who actually take an interest in the politics, the history, and the characters involved. The film seems to do decent justice to everything. A few scenes stand out, and the dialogue is quite sharp (although it is quite old-fashioned as well).

The main problem is, this film is a long and slow-moving affair, built entirely on politics and dialogue.   There's maybe a minute of war scenes in the opening shot, but from then on, it's straight-up talking. The vast majority of the film takes place in the White House, or in Congress, or in some other indoors setting, with very little variation. Conflict is strictly political; people struggling to get the 13th Amendment ratified, and lots of debating ensues.  If the political battle for the 13th Amendment is something that really interests you, then maybe this film will speak to you.  For me, however, I found it quite dry, and I found myself nodding off and losing interest on a few occasions.

In spite of that, I think the actual plot of this film is thin and flat, lacking in significant conflict or structure. The best that can be said is that it's populated with quality characters, who seem to adhere to historical depiction and fact quite well. I was relieved to see that the actual political stance of the film is appropriately neutral; the film never slanders or puts a spin on Republicans or Democrats, but portrays them objectively. With the 13th Amendment as the sole subject of the film, the film digs up a lot of themes to reinforce Lincoln's ideals of equality and freedom.

As expected, the cinematography and editing are top-notch.  Acting is effectively perfect, especially from Daniel Day Lewis, who provides an appropriately nuanced and enjoyable portrayal of Abraham Lincoln.  Writing is excellent, especially in the way it provides sharp and witty dialogue, with a proper 1860s style.  This production has great-looking sets, props, and costumes.  Music is not bad either.

Watching this film reminded me a lot of watching JFK, but without the conspiracy theories or freakiness.  Both films are basically political to the core, and I find them both rather tedious to watch.  Regardless, Lincoln is a well-crafted film, and is definitely worth watching.  Recommended, especially for history buffs, fans of political dramas, and fans of the cast or the director.

3.5/5 (Entertainment:  Marginal | Story:  Average | Film:  Perfect)

Travel: York and the Jorvik Viking Festival

About a year ago, I took a short trip to the old English city of York, to try and seek out the Jorvik Viking Festival.  I was generally unsuccessful, but did experience enough to make the trip worthwhile.

The Viking Festival specifically runs around this time; the end of February, beginning of March.  You can expect to see re-enactments, with people dressed in traditional Viking or Saxon attire and staging mock fights and battles for your amusement.  This year, I had the good chance to see the Vikings duking it out in front of Clifford's Tower.  There are also a number of other events:  other demonstrations, goods for sale (such as furs, jewelry, pottery, and other interesting Norse-themed tidbits), activities for the kids, and more.  These fests will have schedules of events available, either in brochures throughout York, or on their official site.

Vikings besiege modern York!

If you aren't already aware, the city of York is an old old place.  It was originally settled by the Romans, who took to calling the place Eboracum; they built a good-sized fort to house some seven thousand soldiers, and a town eventually built up around it.  It was here that the Emperor Constantine was crowned the Emperor of Rome by the troops stationed there; he was the first and only Roman Emperor to be crowned outside of Rome.  York has also been subject to conquest by the Vikings, under the reign of Eric Bloodaxe.  The Viking name of Jorvik would eventually evolve into the current name of York.  In time, the Vikings were sacked by King Eadred, and York became a proper medieval English city.  To this day, ruins from the times of the Romans, the Viking, the Dark Ages, the Tudor Age, and more can be found throughout the city.

If it's history like this that interest you, there is a museum there that covers all these different eras, and more.  It does have a neat collection of artifacts, statues, bones, and plenty of information to offer.  It even has interactive stations for children to play with, and a theater to show a short film.  It's a modest-sized place, but still pretty fun to walk through.  The museum is surrounded by some interesting ruins.  In addition to that, there are other museums throughout the city:  my mom could probably tell you more about the quilting museum on the other end of town.

Medieval statues in the basement of the York museum.

One other interesting museum is the Rail Museum, which is free, but donations are appreciated.  This is a huge space with a bunch of old locomotives and train cars, and they're all pretty cool to look at.  You can expect plenty of old steam trains on display; you can't climb around inside them that much, but you can look through their windows and see their decorated cabins and the array of brass and copper instruments in the locomotives.  There are some really distinctive trains, such as the Rocket, which almost looks like an old-fashioned yellow car with a giant smoke stack and giant train wheels.  There's the queen's train on display, which looks very lavish.  There's a Japanese bullet-train, which you can walk around in, to experience the comfortable seating and high-tech TV displays (the place looked like an airplane cabin to me).  The museum also has a lot of cool old-looking signs, and there are some activities and sights for kids to enjoy.

One of the many locomotives at the York National Rail Museum.

The Rocket.

The biggest, most prominent, and probably the most beautiful attraction in the city will be the York Minster.  It's a massive cathedral in the middle of the city, with some of the most intricate and detailed stonework I've ever seen.  Its exterior is a thing of beauty as it is, with its towering spires, its impressive towers, and its many statues and edifices.  On one side of the street, you can find a statue of Constantine.  Inside, the place is cavernous, with vaulted ceilings reaching up for hundreds of feet, supported by giant pillars.  There are some very nice stained-glass windows along the walls, including the exquisite rose window on the southern side, and the Heart of Yorkshire near its main entrance.  The cathedral does offer church services and is open for all.  There is a tower section that you'll have to pay for to get in; it's a long and strenuous climb for hundreds of steps up a spiral staircase, but it does offer a very nice view of the surrounding city.  Buying a ticket can also be good for up to a full year, so you could revisit the tower repeatedly if you desire.

The York Minster.

The Rose Window at the York Minster.

Close to the Minster is the York Treasurer's House.  It is run by the National Trust, and is free for members.  The house is only open at certain days and times, but they do have tours, even on days when the house itself is closed.  The tours offer plenty of interesting information regarding the house's original owners, and the ominous ghost stories from the people who had lived and worked in the house.  The house was bought and refitted by a man (I forget his name...Mr. Greene, I think it was) who just wanted to show off, so he had the rooms refitted with lots of historical influences, albeit they were very mixed.  You can expect to see things, like a room with Roman columns and a medieval exterior wall in the main hall.  The place is probably most famous for the story about the guy working in the cellar, who suddenly saw an entire Roman legion coming out of the wall he was working on.  He reported seeing these ghostly soldiers sporting green tunics and round shields; such remarks were disregarded at the time, but it was later discovered that Romans did indeed have green tunics and round shields, giving the story some ominous credence.

The Treasurer's House.  Ghosts live here.

As far as ghost stories go, York is considered the most haunted city in England.  Places like the Treasurer's House, the Golden Fleece pub, and probably everywhere else, will have ghost stories and alleged sightings.  There are walking tours, mostly at night, where guides will take you around the city and tell you the stories.

Another major historic attraction will be Clifford's Tower, run by English Heritage (members can get in for free, everybody else may have to pay a small admission).  It's a small medieval keep on top of a tall, steep hill.  Inside the castle's grounds, there's just a small courtyard with some information plaques, but there are also stairs along the wall that offer some modest views of the cityscape.  It's not a terribly impressive place, but it looks very stoic and solid on the outside.  It's also a place of some interesting history (in addition to serving as a fortification, the place also fitted up to serve in the English Civil War, it served as a jail, and it was once the site of a mass suicide).

Clifford's Tower.

The rest of the time was spent walking around, checking out the shops, eating a little, and taking plenty of pictures.  It's not a big city; I was able to walk around most of it within a matter of hours.  Parts of the old medieval wall are intact all around the city, allowing citizens to walk along it for more elevated views.  These walls also feature some nice-looking gatehouses, some of which may contain more attractions.  Inside the city, the Shambles is one of the most distinctive-looking streets, with its incredibly narrow passages and its real-looking medieval storefronts.  Throughout the city, there are plenty of pubs, restaurants, eateries, stores, and shops to be found.  Inns and B&Bs offer some small but hospitable opportunities for extended stays within the city; I'm not sure if there are really any major hotels around (likely outside of the city).  We almost went into a chocolate place at one point, but refrained due to the price (and possibly the calories).  There are a ton of street performers to be found, all offering unique sights and sounds to accentuate the ambiance.  It is a very busy, bustling city, so you can expect to bump into lots of people as they crowd up the streets.  It will be especially crowded on nice days and weekends.  A market does open up sometimes on certain streets, offering more goods for sale, and also drawing in more crowds.  Also be aware that traffic can be horrendous all around the York area; I personally find it more agreeable to take the train into town, rather than having to contend with the dense traffic and struggle to find parking.

York is one of the biggest, oldest, and most distinctive English cities, especially in Yorkshire.  It is definitely worth visiting, for it offers a lot of attractions for all manner of travelers.  Just be aware that it is a rather small and dense place.

For more information, you can see my mother's post on York.

Film Review: Argo (2012)

"This is the best bad plan we have...by far, sir." - Bryan Cranston

November 4th 1979, Iranians violently stormed the American Embassy and siezed hostages for 444 days. It was an intense and frightening era in modern history; this film chronicles the daring operation to rescue six of the hostages after they fled the besieged embassy.

I'm not at all familiar with the Iranian Hostage Crisis, so I have no idea how much of Argo is fiction and how much of it is fact (reading up on it, I see that the film is criticized for over-emphasizing the role of the CIA, and for presenting more peril than what really happened). Regardless, the film made the events feel very real. The film does it best to replicate the era, the settings, and the danger to immerse the viewers into the situation and make them feel the suspense. I certainly felt the suspense, as the characters ran up against all manner of political, diplomatic, and cultural barriers in a frantic race to escape a treacherous and unstable country. The film definitely kept my attention and had me at the edge of my seat.

The story is well-told, presenting its ideas and sequence of events on a manner that's both logical and sensical. Even though there is a lot of political intruige involved, the film never looses its audience with jargon or politics. It also looks and feels very realistic; despite some thrilling scenes, the events appear plausible and the various interactions between people and governments appear authentic. Characters have just enough depth and emotion to make audiences care for them, and once again, come off as seeming authentic.

Even the film itself feels authentic, featuring some rough and gritty-looking camera work and editing. The camera is steady and solid, as is the editing, but it looks like a film that could have been made in the 70s, due to the way it's composed and put together. Same goes for its production design, which goes to great lengths to replicate genuine-looking sets, props, and costumes. Acting is decent: Ben Affleck is surprisingly strong in his role, Bryan Cranston is a fun to watch as ever, and everybody else fulfills their parts admirably. Writing is great. Music isn't bad either.

Argo might just stand as a new personal favorite among political thriller movies; it's certainly one of the most real-looking and historically interesting films I've seen in the genre. Above all, it's intense enough to maintain interest.  Recommended!

4.5/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Very Good | Film: Very Good)