Video Game Review: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

"Fus Ro Dah!" - best spell ever

One of the best virtues of video games is that they transport the player into a whole new world, plants that player into a character's shoes, and let them live as that character.  Of all the role-playing games I've played, none has been more captivating, more beautiful, and more open-ended than Skyrim.  The game's first chapter lets you build your character, offering a fair amount of options to shape the look and race of the character, before throwing you into the heat of battle.  Then, you're pretty much free to run off into the wild blue yonder and do whatever your heart desires.  Follow the main story path, and you'll become a wicked dragon slayer and hero.  Or, explore the hundreds of locations on the map, pursuing potential careers as a thief, a wizard, an assassin, a bard, treasure hunter, demon hunter, or you could just wander around aimlessly.  You can get married, or not.  You can be an upstanding citizen, or not.  You could become a vampire or a werewolf if you wanted.  The possibilities of this game are amazingly endless, and playing it feels like living a second life in the shoes of an adventurer.  With the game's gorgeous locales and intricate level designs, I've blown well over a hundred hours in exploring, fighting, customizing, and experiencing the stories this game embodies.

Gameplay is quite intuitive with practice.  It ingenuously gives the player the power to go anywhere and do most anything with the mere push of a few buttons.  It may require a little patience to wait through some of the loading screens and to wade through the menus, but for the most part, the game runs smoothly and sublimely.

The story is pretty fun to play through.  It builds your character up as a mythic hero of sorts and has you doing a fair amount of exploring and fighting.  There are quite a few cool bits of folklore, myth, and ideas that pop up to make the story stand out.  As noted above, one of the key benefits of this game is that the story is not a requisite for playing; you could ditch it altogether and do your own thing.  What matters here is that the world is built up with incredible precision and detail.  It goes to prove that it's not the destination that matters, but the journey.

The one real negative about this game is that it is prone to frequent freezing on the PS3, and glitches are common.  The game will strain resources, largely because the autosave feature makes the save file bigger and bigger until the console gets stuck.  Patches, and maybe turning the autosave off, will help the issue a bit, but it hasn't stopped many gamers from bashing on this game, calling it an inferior product that should have never seen the light of day.  Frankly, even though the problem has been frequent for me, it's never been enough to dissuade me from playing.  Nor has it stopped me from admiring the awe-inspiring graphics.  AI can be pretty nutty, but it's still pretty amazing how the programmers set up the NPCs to live and work like real people.  This game spared no expense in designing and incorporating thousands of usable props, weapons, armor, artifacts, reagents, characters, and everything else.  Voice-acting can be cheesy.  The music score for this game is one of the best.

Despite some technical issues, I've found the game addicting, gripping, and alluring in every good way.  It's become my top favorite game of this generation (outclassing my last favorite game, Fallout 3).  Every serious gamer should give Skyrim a playthrough.

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

Film Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

"The world is not in your book and maps. It's out there!" - Ian McKellen

Ten years ago, I laid eyes on Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and instantly fell in love. I realized pretty quickly that it was the perfect combination of style and substance: a film so loaded with story and detail, but also had enough style and action to make the experience truly epic. This experience would only be supplanted by The Two Towers and The Return of the King, the latter of which has taken its place as my personal number-one favorite movie.

After so many years of legal battles and creative turmoil, The Hobbit is finally adapted for the big screen. If anything could displace the Lord of the Rings as my favorite film trilogy, I was certain that it would be The Hobbit; if for no other reason than I found Tolkien’s The Hobbit is a far easier and funner read than LOTR, and I always knew that there would be moments that would make for excellent cinema.

Despite the underwhelming reviews and reception, I found The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey satisfying; it met my expectations perfectly. I won’t deny, however, that the film overall feels like a long-labored attempt to force lightning to strike twice. Not only because of all the story padding, connections to LOTR, returning stars, and the splitting of the story into three films, but also insomuch as trying to craft new iconic characters out of Bilbo and Thorin to mirror Frodo and Aragorn respectively. I think the thing that really gets on people’s nerves is the sheer audacity in taking a single book (one that was previously adapted into a humble, bite-sized 79-minute cartoon) and exploding it into a 500-minute franchise. Thus follows the common complaints that the films are too long, too padded, too big for their own good.

Personally, none of these factors really affected my enjoyment of the film.  The only real drag I felt was in the opening act; the Shire scenes seemed to take a good while to wrap up. Once the party hit the road, the film explored the big plot points I remembered well from the novel’s first third, complete with awesome rip-roaring action. The film’s final act is pretty jam-packed with loads of orc-slaying mayhem. Above all, however, the film has a nice sprinkling of humor and character throughout, keeping things lightweight and even. I think the most memorable and satisfying of scenes, however, will be the major encounters that I remember fondly from the novel: outwitting the three trolls, for example, or the riddle scenes with Gollum, are all brought to life perfectly on the big screen.

The story for The Hobbit is as quintessential of a fantasy adventure as, well, Lord of the Rings. The film not only does a fine job of packing in loads of events, characters, and fine details from The Hobbit’s original narrative and story, but it also ties in some content from The Silmarillion and the appendices of Tolkien’s books. A lot of this is incorporated to make tangible ties with LOTR, allowing the film to serve as a proper prequel, while digging up additional subplots, conflicts, and details to layer onto all of Peter Jackson’s Middle-Earth films. Yes, the film could have all these extra scenes cut out, making the film trimmer. Frankly, I liked it the way it is. Some of the scenes helped me understand certain nuances of The Hobbit’s politics and backstories. Some helped in the nuances of established characters and events (especially in regards to chronicling Gandalf’s whereabouts, who would otherwise just pop in and out randomly, like in the book, but it would have probably alienated audiences further). Some is purely invented for the film series to streamline the continuity (purists might be outraged when they see Radagast on screen). It’s a bit early to tell where The Hobbit is going with all the threads it has grabbed, but it does serve a purpose in the long run. If nothing else, it’ll help average audiences connect and understand the Middle Earth on a deeper level, and set things up for later events in the next two films.

As expected, the film looks splendid, with quality photography and editing. I’m especially pleased to see that the filmmakers dropped the shakey-cam effects that were dispensed in the fight scenes of LOTR; just about every shot in The Hobbit is solid and steady. Acting is pretty decent from the whole cast; aside from all the familiar faces, Martin Freeman plays Bilbo with the right amount of nuanced uptightness, while Richard Armitage plays it tough as Thorin, and every other dwarf actor does their best to make their characters stand out in their own neat ways. Writing is great; the script adapts as much as it can from the novel, while allowing the film to breathe on its own. This production is loaded with excellent sets, props, costumes, and special effects. Music is nice too.

Perhaps I’m biased, because this is another film where I see nothing really wrong with it. If anything, it feels like more of the same as LOTR, with the same construction as Fellowship of the Ring.  Even if it is a blatant cash-grab, drawing out the material across three movies to maximize the franchise, it is still a fair crowd-pleaser. Given that we still have the desolation of Smaug and the Battle of the Five Armies to witness on the big screen, I’m certain that An Unexpected Journey is but a small taste of greater things to come; things that may prove to be as epic, if not moreso, than LOTR! At the very least, the film does perfect justice to the original novel, while delivering a fine spectacle. I couldn’t ask for a finer film.

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

Film Review: Koyaanisqatsi

From the Hopi language, Koyaanisqatsi is a word that roughly translates as “crazy life,” or “a life out of balance,” or perhaps more appropriately, “a way of life that calls for another way of living.” Incidentally, that’s exactly what this film shows:  no plot or story, just a document of the modern age of man, far out of balance from nature, which calls for human beings to adapt to their own constructs.

This film doesn’t offer any conventional story with any characters; it’s purely an experience built from images and sound, to illicit thought and feeling in the viewers.  Both the images and music are beautiful in their own ways:  with Phillip Glass’ epic, well-structured music score, the film takes on a palpable rhythm and mood that perfectly accentuates the gorgeous scenery.  The film plays around a lot with time-lapse footage and slow-motion, which serve to show common cityscapes in an invoking new way.  Altogether, the film is as hypnotic and mesmerizing as it is thought-provoking.

This film was cobbled together from all kinds of footage filmed across the United States from 1975 to 1983, with a tight budget.  Regardless, the filmmakers show superb prowess with their photography and editing skills.  At least on a technical level, they’ve maximized their potential and tools to craft an audio/visual masterpiece, weaving the images and music to the themes implied with the term Koyaanisqatsi.

As far as the content goes, like any piece of art, it’s left to the viewer’s interpretation.  The most opaque of themes will revolve around civilization’s progress, the depletion of nature, and the effects of technology and industrialization on the human race.  There are times in the film where humanity seems triumphant, and other times where it feels like it’s spinning out of control in a downward spiral of chaos and destruction (especially in one of the film’s final shots, depicting an Atlas-Centaur rocket exploding; it’s a sequence that’s always hit me the hardest, given the combination of imagery, music, and the overall theme that human civilization rises so high, but will eventually crash and burn).

Watching this film is not only a treat for the eyes and ears, but also a sobering, moving experience unlike any other.  I believe it truly represents the best and worst of the human race in the modern age, and everybody should see it at least once in a lifetime.

5/5 (Entertainment:  Perfect | Content:  Perfect | Film:  Perfect)

What I Think About the Mayan Doomsday Theories and the 2012 Phenomenon

For years, a monstrosity of pop culture sensationalism, pseudoscience, and wack-job doom chanting has been rubbed into our faces.  The monster of the 2012 doomsday phenomenon has its supposed basis in the Mayan long-count calendar, which ends on December 21st 2012 (or, may be offset slightly to read as December 22nd 2012).  Not only does this date align perfectly with the winter solstice, but it also matches up with the galactic alignment (in which the Milky Way will line up with the precession of the equinox).  Chances are that the date lines up with other astronomical or cultural phenomenon.  This has led to people speculating over an exorbitant number of disastrous theories:  Planet X will collide with the Earth, the galactic alignment will cause the magnetic poles to shift and wreak havoc, some other alignment (such as with the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy) will wreak havoc, some photons from another planet might affect us, some random far-away star might go supernova, or aliens will invade the Earth.

Is there really any credence to these theories.  If nothing else, they all sound outlandish.  Science and fact tells us that they are indeed.  Alignments with the galaxies, the galactic black hole, and other stellar bodies have happened throughout Earth’s history, without any discernible impact on us.  The Earth has even undergone magnetic polar shifts before, without causing a catastrophe.  In fact, such shifts occur over thousands and thousands of years, so slowly that we’d never know it’s happening.

If there is a Planet X or Nibiru on its way…then where is it? NASA has publicly announced that there is no discernible threat to the Earth.  Even if you say that they might have missed something (or, as the most paranoid of people might claim, they’re covering something up), wouldn’t we be able to see a whole planet coming up to us? It’s not like some random planet is going to zoom up to us, crossing entire light years of space, in a matter of seven days.  Even if it does (assuming it travels at hypervelocity), why would it shoot straight at us? Wouldn’t the combined gravity of the sun, and the solar system’s larger planets, affect such a planet’s trajectory? The idea of having a rogue planet zoom into our solar system in a straight and narrow path never made sense to me.

What’s left to believe? If you believe the movies, maybe the sun will send out a solar burst that wipes out the planet.  To which I still ask, where’s the proof?

The problem here is that it’s all too easy to get caught up in the hype of things.  We have people who really believe that these things will happen, and try their best to rationalize their theories.  We have people who constantly bring it up, either as a joke or a conversational topic.  Then we have people who listen to it all and take the alleged threats seriously (as I see people in China have already done).  The date, 12/21/12, has been brought up all over the news, in all the movies and video games, on occasional TV specials, in books, and all over the Internet:  people can’t help but to listen to the theories and wonder (and fear) what could happen.

I’ve done my fair share of research regarding the matter, and my conclusion is this:  I’ll bet that nothing happens.  If for no other reason than the real experts – the scientists and the Mayan experts – have nothing that conclusively proves beyond all reasonable doubt that the world will indeed end.  Per what I’ve read, the ending of the Mayan long-count calendar doesn’t mean that the world will explode or anything.  The Mayans never believed that.  If anything, they believed that humanity might change, but everything else will stay the same.  In fact, they believed in a spiritual shift, like the ending of one era and the beginning of another, for the human race.  Now that sounds nice, doesn’t it?

Heck, even the calendar itself never really ends.  It’s circular in nature, with 12/21/12 representing the start of a new b’ak’tun (the thirteenth, to be exact, and a b’ak’tun is a unit of 394 years).  Over the past year or so, in Guatemala, a new Mayan site was excavated, which included a lunar table with calculations that run on for the next 7,000 years.  So, how can they predict stuff that far in advance, if they thought the world would end now? The answer is, they never believed the world will end now.  The experts would go on to say that the 2012 doomsday theory is a pure perversion or fabrication of Mayan myth and culture, running totally contrary to their beliefs.

Sure, I say all this now, but suppose December 21st comes and a rogue planet suddenly does appear and smash into ours.  Oops, I guess I was wrong, and I would be the first to admit it.  I won’t deny that there is an inherently morbid fascination with apocalypse theories:  they’re scary, interesting, insightful, and sobering all at once.  I wouldn’t doubt that the human race is heading for some kind of disaster, one way or another.  I won’t even deny that there’s still a possibility that something could happen on December 21st.  I just don’t think it’ll be a rogue planet or stellar alignment or anything else wild like that.  I certainly don’t put any stock that the Mayans knew it was coming.  I would much rather believe that, if anything happens, it’ll be something cultural, political, spiritual, or environmental in nature:  an event that could alter all our ways of thinking and steer our crazy modern society in strange new directions.  That, I can believe, and it would fit with the Mayan concept of the passing of ages.

And if I’m still wrong and our planet is crushed…well, there’s nothing anybody can do about it.
I, for one, won’t let this flimsy doomsday theory get to my head.  I’m not going to dump my money, my possessions, or my day job over all this.  As far as I’m concerned, December 21st will be business as usual (I might just keep my eyes on the news and the sky, just out of curiosity).

This would be the second major doomsday scare I would have lived through.  I still remember sitting around January 1st, 2000, waiting and wondering with fear and wonderment if there really would be a Y2K incident.  Nothing happened, and it was a relief.  One can’t help but to look back and think about how silly it all seemed.  I think chances are good that we’ll look back on 2012 in the same fashion.

Film Review: Total Recall (2012)

"The past is a construct of the mind. It blinds us. It fools us into believing it. But the heart wants to live in the present." - Bill Nighy

This film has received its fair share of outrage. In this day and age with all kinds of films being arbitrarily remade for a quick buck (like Footloose, of all things), Total Recall comes off as just another tired remake. What makes it worse is that the original Total Recall is one of those films that's firmly established its status as a classic science fiction picture; I've known many fans who've expressed their disgust over taking Paul Verhoeven's pulpy masterpiece and practically desecrating it.

Frankly, the hate is justifiable, given that this remake hits up all the same plot points but changes so much around. One could probably spend pages comparing Len Wiseman's film to Verhoeven's, and highlighting everything that made the original better.

That being said, there are things I enjoyed about the remake. A lot of things, actually. The film definitely has action and spectacle: the cityscapes rendered here are among some of the best I've seen since the Star Wars prequels (and they do bear a lot in common with Blade Runner), and serves as a very interesting setpiece for a constant barrage of fight scenes, pursuits, and huge explosions. The action is pretty cool, and I was especially enthralled by the hovercraft chase in the middle of the film. There is a little bit of drag in the first half of the film, but otherwise, I found it most enjoyable.

The plot is pretty much a clone of the original 1990 film, just swapping out specific aspects and the setting. Mars is no longer a major setting; it's all set on a pair of highly futuristic megalopolises. Surprisingly, I believe this is one change that actually benefits the film: as crowded and condensed these cities are, there's finally a logical reason for having the Rekall virtual vacations in this universe. Additionally, the film does show a lot of really cool futuristic things that appeal to sci-fi nerds like myself: I was really intrigued to see a man using his hand as a phone, or to see an entire building fall through a tunnel running through the core of the Earth.  Above all, the overall look, style, and tone of the film matches up really well with the type of sci-fi adventure that Phillip K. Dick (author of the original story this franchise is based on) is better known for.

Problem is, all the originality in these few parts don't make the sum of the parts original. Characters don't really stand out much, and the story overall just feels like it's using the structure of the original film as a mere template for all the action scenes and cool ideas. All style and no substance. It figures.

The most criminal omission in the story would be the ambiguity of whether or not the events of the film are "real." In the original, you could conclude that it was all in Quaid's head. You can't in this new version; it's not a mind-bender by any means. In fact, it's the opposite.

Say what you will, I still find the film slick and stylish, as expected with a Len Wiseman film. The opening scenes proved to be a little painful on the eyes, with the lens flares and intense strobe lighting, but I was grateful that it didn't persist for long. Otherwise, I enjoyed the camera work and editing. The actors do the best they can: Collin Farrell is the man, while Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale put on their typical tough-girl acts. Writing is not a big standout. This production has a ton of great-looking sets, props, costumes, and special effects. Music has some cool parts.

As expected, the new Total Recall offers a lot of spectacle and cool new toys, but the original is still the best. Sci-fi fans and action junkies might want to give this new take a look; it's about as good (or as bad) as something like The Day The Earth Stood Still remake. If that just appalls you, then you might want to keep your distance.

3.5/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Average | Film: Pretty Good)

Film Review: Doomsday Book

This film presents three futurist-themed stories, which either directly or indirectly hint at apocalyptic overtones.

The first story (called Brave New World) is a simple zombie-pocalypse, brought on by some kind of mutant food poisoning. As this one dude turns into a zombie, he's also searching for the girl of his dreams. Plenty of gnarly violence and partying ensues.

Unarguably, the most worthwhile story will be the middle one (entitled Heavenly Creature), in which a robot at a Buddhist temple attains enlightenment, and everybody tries to figure out what to do with him (or it, depending on perspectives). While this story seems to move the slowest, it's most interesting for its philosophical implications, especially in regards to Buddhism; the story does a fine job of underscoring the key Buddhist themes of materialism, perspectives, and cycles of life. Even if you don't care for all that, the film will spark some good brain activity with the simple moral notion of whether or not it's wise to terminate a spiritual robot.

The final story (Happy Birthday) is easily the most absurd: a little girl breaks her daddy's 8-ball, and orders a new one online. The 8-ball appears two years later...as a meteor traveling at hypervelocity. The end of the world ensues.

Each story offers a little of something: a little bit of quirky humor, a little bit of heart, a little bit of style, and even a little food for thought. Even though Heavenly Creature will stand out as the strongest work of science fiction, which comes close to approaching Isaac Asimov levels of greatness, Brave New World is an entertaining thing to watch, and one can't help but to appreciate how straight Happy Birthday plays out. This might be one of the best (and maybe coming close to strangest) anthology of short films I've seen since the Tokyo! anthology.

Despite some stylistic excess in Brave New World, each film is crafted with superbly stylish photography and editing. Acting and writing are impeccable all around. The films use just enough sets, props, costumes, and special effects to tell their stories, and is quite effective.

If you're a fan of Korean cinema, science fiction, or end-of-the-world stories, then I do recommend giving this film a try.  As a fan of all three, I found it quite enthralling.

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

Writing Prompt: Character Backstories and Histories

At today's writing group session, we partook in the following exercise:

Write a biography for one of the characters you want to put into a novel or story.  Should include:

• When and where he or she was born.
• Information on family members (mother, father, siblings, anybody else relevant).
• His/her fears.
• His/her ambitions.
• His/her hobbies.
• Likes and dislikes.
• Line of work.
• Physical description.
• Temperament.
• How he/she dresses.
• What does this character want more than anything else in the world?

Just about all of these aspects go into creating a quality, realistic, full-depth character.  And writing a full description and biography concerning the character's background and motivations will unlock their psychology, making it incredibly lucid for incorporating the character into the draft in a deep and resonant manner.  I've found first-hand that it is way easier to incorporate a character with all his or her thought processes, quirks, personalities, and history when it is jotted down beforehand.

Thus, either as a story or as a straightforward factual article, this prompt calls for telling the life story of a character, with all of the above being taken into consideration.  It really does help.

My own attempt at this exercise is below, for a character I may employ in a potential sequel for a novel I've recently finished.  This guy's history could be a novel in itself.  I wrote it from the perspective of another character:  a crime boss who hires the guy.  Enjoy!
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So you want to know about Mel Galton? He's easily the best of the business! There are days when I wonder if he's more machine than man.

Mel was born in the slums of Atlantia, a real hellhole of a city floating in the middle of the ocean.  Of all the cities built after the Great Floods wiped out most of the world's landmasses, Atlantia was considered the most free:  no corporations, no police, no government, just a hobbled collection of hoods on an artificial island, all working as a loose republic to try and survive.

So, Melburne Anthony Galton was born all-natural from a poor young woman who worked at a scummy restaurant; I suspect she was sometimes employed for more occasional jobs that required some discretion, if you know what I mean.  In spite of that, Mel and his mother never really knew who the father was:  it could have been any number of "customers."

It wasn't easy raising Mel in a dump like Atlantia.  She did her best to make money, keep herself and the kid fed and clothed and everything.  To make things easier, Mel took it upon himself to find his own means of surviving.  He learned to fight, to stand up for himself, and to do whatever it takes to get the food, clothes, cash, and whatever else he needed to survive.  Together with his mother, they got along pretty well for a time.

By the time he was a teenager, Mel was a natural-born hellraiser, and in some other life, he probably would have taken over my place as the boss of the NeoVegas casino ring.  But as it is, Mel's mother came down with a nasty form of cancer.  They didn't have much money to afford surgery, and quality surgeons were pretty rare in Atlantia anyway.  Mel had to find a lot of cash fast.  He hopped on over to NeoVegas, came up with his own system to try and beat the House.  It didn't work; I know, because I caught him.  I gave him a choice:  work for me, or get thrown into the deep sea to say "hello" to the sharks.  The kid was tough and a smartass, but he made the right choice in the end.  For a good while, he was a bouncer at my casino.

He made good money, but not in time to save his mother.  When he went back to Atlantia to find her, she was gone.  Her employers had relocated her for their convenience.  Mel was understandably angry.  He took it upon himself to track her down.  I think that was the first time he got a real mission worth fighting for, and a real taste of real action.  He tracked down all the leads he could, pummeling thugs and low-lives until they pointed him to the next person in the food chain.  They led him to a particularly nasty part of town, and he found her in a scuzzy little locked room.  They took care of her cancer long ago, using some hack-job back-alley surgeon.  With unclean tools and unauthorized nanite tech, she had some pretty grotesque complications.  They kept it under wraps with an endless supply of drugs.  Mel got to see her just long enough to watch her slip away; he said she felt no pain or sorrow, thanks to the drugs.

From that day onward, Mel decided he found his calling:  he became a mercenary.  He wasn't just any merc though; he put all his faith into genetics, to pump up his body, his mind, and his skills.  Even without the implants, the man is pretty buff.  He's hard to miss with his handsome face with the narrow cheeks, those calm Earthy-green eyes, and that mess of short black hair.  He usually wears his usual get-up:  heavy-duty cargo pants, a plain black shirt, a kevlar vest, sometimes a leather coat, and bandoliers for all the guns, knives, and grenades his job may require.  Yeah, he always looks like he's ready for war.  Maybe because he knows that it's the survival of the fittest, everywhere, everytime.

I couldn't tell you what the guy wants.  I asked him about finding a girl, settling down, and having a family.  At this point, he has enough dough to retire.  He just told me that fighting is in his nature, and he could never settle down.  It would take one hell of a lady to tame this beast.
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I realize after the fact that I failed to mention these characteristics:

• Fears:  at this point, I'm not entirely sure.  As hardened as this character is, I think a more abstract type of fear would befit him, such as fear of betrayal, fear of love, fear of stability, or a fear of society or authority figures.
• Hobbies:  I'm toying with the idea of having him play guitar in his spare time.
• Likes/dislikes:  gambling, womanizing, drinking.  Could be a total party animal, but generally isn't.  
• Temperament:  calm and stoic, but he has his share of attitude, and if pushed, he can have a rather bad temper.
• What does this character want more than anything in the world? At first, his sole prerogative is to live for the next mission, make money, and live for the moment.  In time, he may learn to settle down and find peace, if he finds the right woman...

Video Game Review: inFamous

"Every man is guilty of the good he did not do." - Voltaire

I still believe that the biggest allure of video gaming is that it empowers the player.  It's actually become quite commonplace to play a game that thrusts superpowers into the players hands, allowing them to perform impossible stunts and clear out entire armies of enemies in the safe confines of a digital environment.

Infamous offers more of the same, but with bigger emphasis on moral choice.  As the game's title suggests, you're not going into this game expecting to be loved or praised as a superhero.  All your actions will have consequences, steering the story into morally ambiguous ground; you'll either be a hero who's misunderstood and slandered, or a righteous supervillain.  Moral choice is the key element to this game; you can either run around, blowing everything up without any consideration of consequences, or you can tread carefully and try to save the people you run across.

This game is presented as an open-world sanbox type of environment, much akin to games like the Assassin's Creed series, Grand Theft Auto IV, or [Prototype].  You're given (mostly) free reign over the fictitious Empire City, which is sprawled across three islands that gradually unlock more and more as you progress through the story.  The islands each have a wealth of missions, side-missions, and collectables to pour through.  You'll be busy for hours exploring the islands and obsessively unlocking all their secrets.  That is, unless you find yourself constantly getting ambushed by the rabid gangs that have taken over; it can be nerve-wracking to always get shot at by these gangs, but doing the side-missions and clearing out territory helps make life a little easier.  The overall meat of the game, however, has you fighting off these gangs with your magnificent electric superpowers.  By the game's end, you'll become a nearly-invincible superman who can float on static power, shoot electric beams from your hands, and even summon lightning storms from the sky.  It's pretty darn awesome.

The story is pretty sound, overall, and with the moral choice angle, it offers plenty of thoughtful consideration and implications.  By the game's end, it offers a fantastic twist ending that really makes this game more of a mind-bender.  Characters are well-developed, especially with the narrative voice and structure.  Overall, for a video game, it's a very impressive piece of work that's seamlessly woven into the game's mechanic.

Despite its ambition, the game looks a little rough around the edges.  Although the city designs and overall artwork is great, the texturing and rendering is a little cheap, giving everything a simple and cartoony look (something that's much improved in the sequel).  Still, the game plays very smoothly, with intuitive controls and fluid movements.  Voice-acting is pretty good, even if it is a little cheap at times.  Music by Amon Tobin is really funky (and I loved the end credits song).

The game does a fine job of shoving both power and responsibility into the player's hand and telling a quality story around it.  This game is highly recommended to all!

4.5/5 (Entertainment:  Perfect | Story:  Very Good | Game:  Good)

Writing: Finding the Time

One thing I often hear from other people is that they never find the time for proper writing.  And it's a perfectly understandable problem:  it takes hours and hours and hours to write out a full-length novel.  Even a good short story will take time to draft, proofread, rewrite, and submit.  When you have a day job, or a family to provide for, or a really busy social life, or you're on the road a lot, it will be near impossible to find the time to sit down at a desk in a totally distraction-free environment.

With life itself sucking up all the hours of a day, how does one find time to write anything?

There are ways.  If anything, doing the National Novel Writing Month challenge has taught me that it's not too hard to squeeze in 1,667 words a day for a straight month.  Here are my views and tips for finding the time to write:

First and foremost, you need the discipline.  Not everybody has the fortitude to sit down for hours on end; writing can be a rather tedious and lonesome hobby.  You'd have to be really motivated by your story ideas and imagination; it will need to possess you to try and express your ideas in words.  So before you really devote yourself to a project, you'll need to ask the hard question:  do you have what it takes to write? Are you the right person for a given story?

If you're past that point, then you may want to consider setting up a proper timeframe to tackle your writing.  Maybe you can block off a couple of hours every evening.  Maybe in the morning.  Noontime.  Before, after, and heck maybe even during work.  If you set aside the time, you can let your friends and family know that it is your time and you don't want to be disturbed under any circumstances; so long as they're trustworthy, you should have the peace and quiet you want.

If you're just so busy that there's absolutely no time you can block off for yourself, then you'll just have to wing it.  I personally carry around a notebook everywhere I go (to work, on trips, in town etc), so I can draft things by hand if I have any down time.  Transferring hand-written text to the computer takes hardly any time or brainpower, so if anything, it helps in the long run.  I also endeavor to keep a smaller notebook in my pocket at all times, to jot down any additional ideas that may come to me throughout the day.

All that being said, it can still be difficult to produce anything, even if you do carry around a notebook or block off time for yourself.  Inspiration and motivation can hit you at any time, and it won't always synchronize with your schedule.  Another writer I met referred to these feelings as "hauntings," because the urge to write can haunt you.  Ideally, you should probably run to the nearest computer and write your story right when the "hauntings" happen, but if this is the middle of the night or in the middle of work or something, you'll just have to wait.  Or, you may have to improvise and write in a notebook or something.  Either way, flexibility in your routine may help you.  It may also behoove you to seek some other form of inspiration to cut through any blocks you may have.  In the end, however, you'll never be able to create a system that aligns perfectly with your "hauntings," so it's best to build the discipline in some form or another.

Once you get started, it may help to establish a deadline.  Try and shoot for so many words in a day.  Try and finish something by the end of the month.  Having a deadline may motivate you to get the story pumped out.  If you write 1,667 words a day, you'll have 50,000 by the end of the month; that's only six pages a day.  You might seriously surprise yourself with how many words you can fit into a few hours' work.

Even if you peck at it little by little, you will accomplish something and be well on your way to producing a tangible manuscript.

Travel: German Christmas Markets

As November came to a close and Christmas fast approaching, the Christmas markets all across Europe opened for business.  The markets in Germany (called the Weihnachtsmarkt in German) are a pretty big deal:  most, if not all, major towns and cities will have their streets packed with rows and rows of stalls and kiosks selling all kinds of wares and food.  There are markets available in France, Belgium, Poland, and various other countries as well; I had the good pleasure of seeing the Strasbourg market in France several years ago.  Regardless, the German ones have always had me coming back for more.

The welcome sign to the Ruedesheim Christmas market.

On this trip, I stuck with the few markets I knew the best.  First of all, there's the International Christmas market in Rüdesheim.  This town is a pretty nice place along the Rhine river, situated directly across from the sprawl of Bingen.  The entire Rhine river area is a gorgeous place, with acres of vineyards covering the green hills, and with all its distinctive towns and villages lining the shores of the wide, smooth river.  Just driving along the river roads will treat you with some magnificent views of numerous ruined castles, while the towns offer some unique options for shopping, dinning, and wine-tasting.  Rüdesheim specifically caters more for tourists, offering a few more amenities that international visitors may appreciate.  Their Christmas market gathers up vendors representing different nations, including goods from Finland, Mongolia, Italy, and more.  You can expect to find a modest array of foods, including sausages, meats, breads, chocolate, nuts, and more.  Some of the goods sold include such things as ornaments, trinkets, clothing, and rugs.  Comparatively, it's not as big or impressive of a market as you'd find in much bigger cities (or possibly in more popular smaller towns like Rothenburg).  It's best enjoyed for its atmosphere, and on nice days, its views of the river and surrounding hills.

Fake reindeer watching over us...

This cute locomotive-shaped stall sells chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

The Christmas bus is in town!

As I wandered around and took various pictures, I stopped for a drink of amaretto.  Funny thing is, I always thought amaretto was a coffee flavor rather than a stand-alone drink, so you can imagine my surprise when the stuff gently burned my throat and warmed my stomach, with the smooth and potent allure of alcohol.  It was strong, but I loved it! If nothing else, the various Christmas markets are never in short supply of warm drinks.  Not only are coffees available, but there's also a wonderful winter's drink called Glühwein (a spiced wine, or mulled wine, that's served hot; it's strong, but also somewhat sweet and it warms you up real good).  Most of these drinks are served in mugs, and upon purchase you'd pay a deposit (or a pfand) for the mug; if you want, you could keep the mug for yourself, or return it to get your money back.

Amaretto, partially consumed.  It kinda looks like a beer now, doesn't it?

Rüdesheim probably represents the low point of this trip.  Afterward, I went through the city of Wiesbaden.  It's a pretty big city, but most of its downtown amenities can be seen within a sizable walking distance.  The city has a number of nice parks and some really gorgeous buildings (along with plenty of clean modern buildings).  Within the city center is a large red cathedral (the Marktkirsche) with an expansive plaza, and here you'll find a sizable assembly of market stalls.  On top of the usual array of ornaments, trinkets, and food, I also beheld a wealth of nutcrackers, glowing paper stars, glowing lamps, candles (some of which were made of beeswax), wooden figurines, and much more.  They also had a few rides and a puppet show for the kids.  In the middle of the city (a little further away from the market), there was a Ferris wheel with some cool glowing lights all over it.  At night, strings of lights will come on, with glowing flower patterns glowing over everybody's heads.

One of those rotating Christmas pyramid thingies, near the Wiesbaden Marktkirsche.

Candles galore.

A wall of masks.

Puppet theater, entertaining audiences of all ages for centuries.

Lastly, I got to visit the market of Mainz, just across the river from Wiesbaden.  Mainz offers some unique sights of its own, with its citadel, museums, oodles of statues, churches, and river-side views all packed together.  Walking across the bridge to the area of Mainz-Kastel not only offers a decent view of the river, but also leads to some very ornate graffiti art all along the walls in the tunnels beneath the bridge.  As far as the market goes, it offers a lot of the same as what's been listed above, in addition to some great leather materials, metal signs, and more food.  Lighted displays in this city are pretty decent as well.  It's all centralized around the Mainz dom (cathedral), which is a pretty awesome building in itself.

The Mainz dom, with the Christmas pyramid in front of it.

Lamps...so much color, it's awe-inspiring...

Glowing paper stars; just a few of jillions that I must have seen on this trip.  And all of them are awesome.

I spent four nights at the Mainz Hilton, visiting all these places and occasionally relaxing around the local area.  The Hilton is certainly a nice hotel that offered a comfortable stay and a good breakfast buffet.  I ate out just a few times; restaurants in Germany do offer some great food at times.  For the most part, however, I was content to stick with the occasional market food.  There are always stalls selling bratwursts, pizzas, hot meat sandwiches, and more.

Kartofelpuffen (potato pancakes, sorta), is another fine market delicacy that can be enjoyed here.  Served with apple sauce (although a strawberry sauce was made available as well).

That's basically the extent of my trip.  By the end of it, the markets were starting to fill up more and more; in the evenings and weekends, it can be very aggravating to worm your way through wall-to-wall people.  Ultimately, most markets sell the same variety of goods anyway, so after a few days, I was content.  I came home with a bag full of candied nuts (probably my favorite thing from these markets), some gifts for others, and a wealth of pictures.  I can't be certain as to whether or not I'll have the opportunity to go back to these markets again; having seen, bought, and devoured everything I wanted to, I can walk away from it feeling gratified with the memories and the photographs of these wonderful marketplaces.

Nutcrackers, wondering where their nuts are at.

I certainly recommend visiting a Christmas market to any traveler.  The ones posted here are certainly worthwhile looking at.  The market in Rothenburg (a nice walled town made famous for its well-preserved medieval architecture and astronomical clock) should be a must-see.  I remember the market in Trier being good as well.  I've never been to the Stuttgart market, but from what I've heard of it, it was "just okay." You probably can't go wrong with markets in the bigger cities (Berlin, Munich, Dresden, Köln, etc).  Also, the market in Strasbourg, France, is decent.  All these markets usually open up at the end of November and run throughout December.

Standard market scene at the Mainz Christmas market.

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

Al's Top 10 Favorite James Bond Films

This year, 2012, marks the 50th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s famed fictitious hero, James Bond, as he appears on film. Chances are you might have heard of this guy: works for MI6, the British Secret Service, he likes his vodka martinis shaken not stirred, and he’s a real hit with the ladies. For the past fifty years, across 5 different actors and 23 different films, Bond has been the epitome of a hero that combines charm with machismo. All the Bond films have pushed the envelope for action and entertainment. All of them have brought something new and thrilling to the table, pitting 007 against so many odd enemies and challenges.

I’ve been a James Bond fan since high-school, but exploring each film has never gotten old for me. If anything, they all seem to improve and entertain a little more with each new viewing. Even then, there are some I like more than others.

In light of the 50th anniversary celebration, here is my personal top ten favorite James Bond films:

10: Licence to Kill (1989)

This might just be the bloodiest and most brutal Bond film of the entire lot. It gets pretty gnarly as one poor henchman gets shredded in a grinder, another guy gets stabbed by a forklift, and one of the major baddies gets stuck in a decompression chamber that causes his head to explode. In a way, these excesses work in favor of the film, because it makes the threat a lot more real, especially when it comes from the hands of the main antagonist: Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi), a real cold and brutal drug dealer who could give Tony Montanna a run for his money. Timothy Dalton plays Bond, who plays it real hard and tough as he tracks down Franz. The real twist here is that Bond is not just running after the bad guy for king and country: he’s in it because they messed around with his buddy Felix Leiter, murdering his wife and having his legs bitten off by sharks, so naturally Bond wants some payback. With the theme of vengeance running strong, Licence to Kill stands out as one of the most hard-hitting Bond movies.

Entertainment: Good | Story: Very Good | Film: Good

09: Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

As the 90s marched on, globalization really started to kick in with the advents of the Internet, satellite communications, and world news delivering information around the world all the time. With this in mind, TND builds its concept from a frighteningly realistic notion: what if the CEO of a news company decides to start a war, for the sole purpose of selling the news? Maybe this is still a little outlandish, but compared to every other Bond film, this is a premise that fits in perfectly with the information age. Jonathan Pryce plays a rather hammy villain, orchestrating all this madness, while Pierce Brosnan puts on his usual charm and cool wit opposite Michelle Yeoh to kick a lot of serious butt.

Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Film: Good

08: Quantum of Solace (2008)

Underrated masterpiece, or underwhelming disappointment? Most viewers seem to fall on one side of the fence or the other with this film; strangely, I’ve felt both. On the first viewing, I was really thrown off by the film’s erratic, rapid-fire editing, which slams the action into the viewers’ faces. As for the plot, it strings together a bunch of insane action sequences and doesn’t really draw the lines from point A to point B the way the other films do.

On repeat viewings, however, I found myself more complacent with the loud, crazy, fast-cut action scenes; the opening car chase really makes you feel like you’re in the passenger seat with Bond as he careens through the Italian countryside and blasts this machine gun out the window. As for the rest of the film, it touches upon a lot of key issues that resonate with the modern age: the diminishing natural resources, poverty, class differences, corporate manipulation of governments, and more. As Bond treads through a morally ambiguous political terrain, he winds up rushing against the grain with his own allies. What’s most important, however, is the theme of revenge, especially in the final scenes, which bring closure to the events of Casino Royale. In spite of that, Quantum of Solace is best seen back-to-back with Casino Royale, forming a cohesive double-bill that fully develops Bond’s character (portrayed with serious skill and attitude by Daniel Craig).

Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Good | Film: Pretty Good

07: The Man With the Golden Gun (1974)

Certainly not the best or most serious film in Roger Moore’s repertoire as James Bond, but this might be the funnest, at least in my opinion. Bearing little in common with Ian Fleming’s novel, this film pits Bond against the hotshot assassin Scaramanga (played by Count Dooku…I mean, Saruman…I mean, Christopher Lee), and his vertically-challenged sidekick Nick Nack (Herve Villechaize). The story tears across all of Thailand with some really fun boat and car chases; one big highlight of which includes a car performing a magnificent 180-degree roll across a river. The most interesting showdown occurs on Scaramanga’s island hideout, where he and Bond chase each other in a funhouse-style maze. What helps make this stand out is Scaramanga himself, who comes across as what Bond himself would have been if he was evil (a type of parallel that would also come into play in Skyfall).

Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Film: Good

06: The Living Daylights (1987)

Expanding upon one of Ian Fleming’s short stories, this flick kicks up the action a great deal, as Bond hops around the world from one big car or foot chase to another. He serves as a sniper in the beginning, leads a full-blown rebellion toward the end, and uses a small wealth of gadgets to give armies of bad guys the slip. It’s a pretty heavy case of one-thing-leading-to-another, and it makes for a nonstop thrill ride. Timothy Dalton shows some adequate charm and wit in this film, but mostly channels a type of angst that helps give him a more serious attitude (only outmatched by Daniel Craig). Maryam d’Abo plays the Bond girl in this flick, and might be my favorite one. Funnily enough, Joe Don Baker plays the villain, even though he reappears later in GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies as an ally.

Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Good | Film: Very Good

05: Skyfall (2012)

Not everybody has taken too kindly to the latest 007 film, citing it as appearing far less like James Bond and more like Jason Bourne. Skyfall additionally takes some huge influences from Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, so the film is loaded with some serious plot twists that might strain some believability, and may cause some viewers to call this film weak, pretentious, or overrated.

As a fan of both Bond and The Dark Knight films, any issues in Skyfall never really bothered me that much, and I enjoyed it quite thoroughly. I was personally impressed as to how high the film kicked up the stakes: this is the first time in a Bond film where MI6 itself is targeted and bombed, and where M becomes a target (she was captured in The World is Not Enough, but in Skyfall, it’s a lot more intense). The film goes on to reintroduce a few old characters in a completely new way, appealing to old-time fans while paving the way for a canonical future. Daniel Craig continues in his mean streak as Bond, while Javier Bardem puts on a quality performance as one of the weirdest and creepiest Bond villains of the lot. Their interactions serve to underscore some strong themes regarding the characters’ progress and future, and ultimately fuel the complex dynamics of the story. Whether you love it or hate it, it proves once and for all that Bond is here to stay.

Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Very Good | Film: Very Good

04: Goldfinger (1964)

There can be no best-of list for Bond without mentioning Goldfinger in any respect. This film has all the classic moments that have defined the franchise over the decades: the girl covered in gold, the creeping laser-beam scene, the man with the iron hat, the fight in Fort Knox, the car with the ejector seat, the bad guy appearing with a golden pistol…chances are that you may know these scenes even if you’ve never seen the film. It’s not just a bunch of random cool scenes though: the film plows through its fun and simple story at full speed, loading it up with action and suspense. Sean Connery, cool as ever, plays Bond for the third time in his career, while Gert Fröbe portrays a decently wacky villain. Honor Blackman appears as one of the most famous Bond girls, thanks largely to her unintentionally suggestive name.

Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Good | Film: Very Good

03: GoldenEye (1995)

This was the first Bond movie I saw, and it remains a top favorite. After a six year gap, Bond blasted back to the big screen with loads of incredible action: it starts of thrillingly as Bond bungee jumps off a dam, before blowing up a Russian base, having plenty of intense shootouts with bad guys, driving a tank through St Petersburg, and ultimately duking it out with the villain on top of a satellite dish array. Not only is the entertainment good, but the story is too, as Bond is forced to confront a specter of his past while facing the challenges of the future. With the Cold War ended, it seemed as though Bond was a useless relic; this film turned it around and paved an endearing future for the character, and the stories.

Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Very Good | Film: Very Good

02: Thunderball (1965)

Of all the Bond movies, Thunderball has always seemed like the sexiest and most exotic film of them all. Set in the gorgeous beaches and waters of the Bahamas, the film runs through a fairly simple story (theft of nuclear weapons, pretty standard action-movie territory by today’s standards) with plenty of style.  It is probably the closest adaptation of an Ian Fleming novel to date, for it is scene-by-scene and word-for-word the same for about 95% of it.  The film brims with beautiful women and locations. Plus, it has a lot of intense fist-fighting, pursuits, and suspenseful scenes. The film is long and thrilling, and it makes for a very satisfying adventure. Sean Connery is still the man as James Bond; Adolfo Celi is iconic as the eyepatched villain Largo, while Claudine Auger and Luciana Paluzzi add some serious sex appeal to the mix.

Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Perfect | Film: Very Good

01: Casino Royale (2006)

After 20 Bond movies, the series had decidedly grown stagnant, ending with the rather overblown Die Another Day (a film held in very little regard, but still ranks as a top favorite guilty pleasure for me personally). It was decided that Bond needed a fresh start. So in ’06, Casino Royale was released.

This new Bond proved to be very fresh, bold, and different. It may rub long-time fans the wrong way, seeing Bond without his famous gadgets, spending more time in a card game than kicking butt, and in seeing blonde hair on the guy for a radical change.

Personally, I never saw much ground for such complaints: Daniel Craig established himself very well as James Bond, adapting a perfectly volatile mix of suave charm, brutal attitude, and cold-heartedness that has always defined Bond, but was never quite as vibrant or intense as seen in Craig’s performance. The film starts off hard-hitting, showing Bond in a hard-edged fistfight in a gaudy bathroom, in the assignment that grants him his initial license to kill. From then on, the film plows ahead at full steam: the opening scenes in Africa are incredible as Bond runs down a parkour master through a construction yard and into an embassy, practically destroying both locales in the process. Bond constantly runs into danger from then on, having to fight goons, finding himself poisoned, running down a terrorist at the Miami airport, and ultimately confronting a gang of baddies in Venice. The film is long, but it’s so full of action that it feels very fulfilling.

At the heart of it, the film still focuses very well on its storytelling, especially in regards to showing Bond’s first mission and his attachment to Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), whose fate would affect Bond in all his future endeavors (perhaps moreso than the events of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, which provided a major turning point for Bond throughout the original series). In the end, Casino Royale is one of those few movies I value the most: the type that perfectly balances storytelling with action, and does so with style.

Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Perfect | Film: Perfect

Film Review: SkyFall (007)

"Sometimes the old ways are the best." - Naomie Harris

As the 23rd official James Bond film overall (and the third starring Daniel Craig), Skyfall starts off fresh and thrilling with a really impressive chase scene throughout Istanbul...then, the film and character literally plunges into the depths of stark new territory.  The film does go on to cover some standard James Bond ground for the first act:  Bond still hobnobs around casinos, drinks a vodka martini, chases after some girls...but throughout the second half, all of the stakes were raised so substantially, it pushed the characters to their limits.  With all the bold, thrilling plot twists and turns, Skyfall is to 007 what The Dark Knight was to Batman:  in both cases, the heroes tread along a knife's edge and go through extreme measures to ensure victory.

Rest assured, the film still entertains every bit as much as the other films of the franchise.  Despite a few slow parts, most of it (especially in the last half) remains consistently suspenseful, thrilling, exciting, and even humorous at times.  There are even a huge number of references and nods to established elements of Bond lore, and by the film's end, it feels as though one age of Bond has passed and another has begun (which is funny, because I thought the transition was more or less complete after Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace; it goes to show that the filmmakers still have some aces up their sleeves).

The story for this film is quite sound, and amazingly thoughtful.  From the start, it emphasizes James Bond's seniority, as he suffers in the line of duty, feels the burden of aging, and as politicians put his usefulness into question.  The film goes on to talk about the old vs the new, or the past vs the present, and it does an effective job of mixing the old and the new in interesting ways.  These key themes and conflicts keep the plot running, and ultimately spurs newfound life and depth in the characters, for both Bond and the villain he ultimately uncovers.  Their interactions prove to be quite profound; many of Bond's most memorable villains have been foil characters, but in this case, I really got the feeling that this villain would have been Bond himself if things were different.  Given the character motivations, the rising stakes, and the ultimate climax, the film showcases one of the most unusual and most hard-hitting Bond stories of the lot.  Purists may find it totally uninteresting, but it'll strike a stronger chord with the modern generation, for the film proves that James Bond is still the man.

As expected, the film looks nice and slick.  A bit drab in terms of tone and color design (for better or for worse), but the camera work is decent, and the editing is good (thankfully, not nearly as screwy as Quantum of Solace).  Acting is great; Daniel Craig is still perfect as James Bond, while Judi Dench continues to play it tough as M, and Javier Bardem puts on a nuanced performance (despite playing a rather weird, child-like character).  Ralph Fiennes and Naomie Harris are both a pleasure to watch as well.  The writing is quite slick, full of wit and depth.  This production does a fine job with the sets, props, and costumes.  I've seen plenty of folks complaining about the special effects, but they never really bothered me that much.  Same with the music; I love Thomas Newman's score, regardless of how different it is from the usual works of David Arnold or John Barry.  And, I do love Adele's theme song.

I definitely enjoyed this film, and it would rank pretty high on my list of favorite 007 films.  Whether you're a fan or not, the film is certainly worth checking out.  Recommended!

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

Film Review: Dark Shadows (2012)

"It is said that blood is thicker than water. It is what defines us, binds us... curses us." - Johnny Depp

I've always heard of the original 1966 TV series Dark Shadows, but I never saw it, so I have no idea how it compares with this film. At the very least, I always thought it was weird that they'd make a movie out of this after more than forty years of the TV show's premier.

On its own merits, the film has its moments. Tim Burton's typical gothic aesthetic is applied pretty generously, so the film does have its fair share of darkly fantastic imagery, wicked monsters, and imaginative special effects. There are also occasional moments of amusing comedy. In fact, it comes pretty close to achieving the same effect as the film adaptations of The Addams Family or The Brady Bunch, since all these films took the characters of the original shows and plopped them into modern times to create some really funny scenes. The Dark Shadows film sets out to do the same, and it is successful at times. The problem is, it's never constant, so the film tends to drag in between the funny scenes and the more eventful scenes.

The story for this is not too bad. I've heard that the film crams in entire seasons of the show into its short runtime; fortunately, the film is never rushed, but it feels as though a number of scenes, subplots, and characters are presented without any direct bearing on the main story. Regardless, the film does a fine job of keeping all the plots and characters straight and presentable for the audience. Characters are pretty interesting all around, even if some of them are one-sided or undercooked. A running theme of family helps tie it all together.

The film looks good and slick, with good photography and editing. Acting is not bad; I enjoyed Johnny Depp's eccentricities, and I loved Eva Green's performance. Writing is alright. A good amount of quality sets, props, costumes, and special effects were dispensed effectively. Music is pretty groovy.

I recommend it as a rental.

3.5/5 (Entertainment: Pretty Good | Story: Pretty Good | Film: Pretty Good)

Gods Among Men: Excerpt Chapter 4

So this month is National Novel Writing Month, and I've decided to devote this month to write out a novel idea that I've had for the past year or so.  It's set in a distant future, following in the aftermath of a devastating war between men and super-men.  Following the war, the super-men built a city called Theopolis:  a massive sprawl legislated by a human-run senate, but protected by a league of superheroes.  In this setting, the story focuses on Troy Gaines:  an outsider who uses a teleportation device to pass himself off as a super-hero, with the hopes of joining the Pantheon and becoming a true protector of the city.  To prove his worth, he is sent on a mission to investigate the disappearances of key personnel.  After snooping around for a bit, he has the following encounter.

This is still a work in progress, and is quite rough.

Additional information and progress can be accessed through my NaNoWriMo profile.

--------------------

                Troy stopped at a café for lunch, and was enjoying a hot beef sandwich served au jus, with a side of home fries and peas.  As he dipped his sandwich in the savory sauce, he relaxed and watched the people on the street as they passed by.  There were no shortages of pretty girls on the boulevard.

                Suddenly, a man sat down at the table across from Troy.  Tall, with bulging muscles, the man was easily twice Troy’s size.  A number of red tattoos ordained his ebony skin, accentuating the curvature of his massive biceps.  The stranger had long, mangy black hair that rippled down to his shoulders.  His eyes were dark and wicked, and he had a nasty scar cutting across his cheek down to his jaw.

                Regarding the scary-looking man, Troy smiled and said, “Hello,” before taking a bite of his sandwich.

                Scowling, the stranger spoke with a booming, intimidating voice, “The boss says you’ve been asking too many questions.”

                The threat was all too obvious to Troy; any other man would have likely been frightened by the encounter, and would have given up on the investigation.  Instead, Troy felt a certain giddiness in knowing that he had come so close to the truth that he invoked a reaction.  Whatever villainy was at work, they felt threatened by Troy’s snooping, and they wanted him eliminated.  More importantly, this was Troy’s chance to dig for more information.

                Still smirking, Troy said, “That’s my job.  I hope you’re here to answer some of my questions.”

                “I’m here to shut you up for good,” the man warned.

                “Who sent you? I hope it’s not my ex-girlfriend.”

                Showing off his teeth in an amused smile, the man revealed a set of jagged, sharp dentures.  He said, “Oh, you think you’re a funny man, do you? You’ll be a dead man soon.”

                “Oh my, what big teeth you have,” Troy mocked.

                “That’s nothing,” the man grinned.  He held up his hands, and his fingernails extended to form long, sharp claws. “Now these, are all the better to rip your heart out with.”

                “Who says I have a heart worth ripping out?”

                “Me,” the man growled. “My name is Snipes McBane.  Enemies call me the Wolf.”

                “I can’t imagine why,” Troy said. “Are you a friend of Duran DeLange?”

                “You keep asking questions, I’m going to claw your throat out!”

                “All I see so far is all bark and no bite.”

                “Do you really want to see what I can do? I’ll take a bite out of you!”

                “Not without a little sauce first,” Troy said, hastily throwing the cup of jus at the Wolf.  Steaming hot broth splashed on his face messily, making him scream in irritation.  A deep beastly growl came out of his throat.

                Snipes suddenly thrashed his arms up and knocked the table to the side, throwing off all the food and appliances that were on it.  There were shouts and cries from the people around them, either fleeing or watching the scene with alarm.  Stepping closer, Snipes grabbed Troy by the throat and lifted him off of his chair.  He brought his other hand back and balled it into a fist, ready to strike it hard against Troy’s skull.

                As Snipes took a swing, Troy turned on his teleporter device and vanished.  The enemy’s arm slugged through empty space, with tendrils of blue mist wrapping around his fist.  Swirling around Snipes, the glowing apparition moved behind him, before Troy reappeared.  Flanking his enemy, he swung his foot out and struck Snipes in the back.  The Wolf staggered forward, crashing into a nearby table.

                Whirling, the Wolf grabbed the table he fell on and hurled it at Troy.  With his teleportation, Troy vanished for an instant, allowing the table to fly through his disembodied form.  As he reappeared, the table crashed behind him.

                Regarding his enemy, Troy tried to consider how he could possibly overpower him.  It probably would have been sensible to teleport far away; he fly to the other side of the city in an instant if he wanted to.  He didn’t consider running away to be an acceptable option; he was eager to question Snipes and find out everything he knew.

                Lunging toward Troy, Snipes took a wide swing, threatening to dig his claws into his opponent’s side.  Teleporting for just an instant, Troy evaded the Wolf’s attack, and appeared at his side.  Grabbing a chair from nearby, he swung it at Snipes with all his might.  The enemy blocked the chair with his arm; with a strong downward thrust, he bashed the chair to the ground and smashed it to pieces.

                At that moment, they could hear sirens sounding from the distance.  It was an indication that the nearest patrol of enforcers were on their way, to stop the fight and maintain the peace.  Oblivious to the noise, Snipes rammed himself into Troy.  His fists slammed into Troy’s side as he pushed him into the café’s wall.

                Just as the Wolf swung his fist again, Troy vanished and slipped away as a flowing blue stream.  Snipe’s hand struck the wall with a bone-crunching crack, and he cried out in pain and rage.

                From above, an enforcer patrol vehicle glided over the boulevard and lowered gently.  As it hovered just a few feet off the ground, a pair of enforcers jumped out of the vehicle’s side.  They were dressed in gray and white body armor, and had laser pistols drawn.  Approaching Snipes from the rear, they aimed their guns and ordered, “Freeze!”

                Snarling, the Wolf lunged at the nearest policeman and slammed him against the side of the vehicle.  Punching at the man’s head repeatedly, Snipes knocked the enforcer out, before snatching away his helmet with his claws.

                Flanking Snipes, the second enforcer fired his gun.  A pair of laser beams spat from the gun’s barrel and into Snipe’s side; the beams sent electric pulses rippling through his body, making him convulse.  The guns were usually enough to stun a normal man; as big and strong as the Wolf was, he merely became agitated, and growled at the enforcer.

                Slamming himself into the enforcer, Snipes swiped his clawed hand out at him, and knocked the gun out of his hands.  Thrashing his hands again, Snipes threw the policeman into the side of the vehicle.  It was a strong enough blow to knock the enforcer out.

                Reappearing in front of Snipes, Troy picked up the gun that was knocked away from the enforcer.  Aiming it at the Wolf, Troy turned up the weapon’s power, and said, “Down boy.  You’ve been very naughty.  I’m going to have to put you down.”

                Still seething, Snipes was clearly overcome with a volatile mixture of adrenaline and rage.   He was still cognizant enough to recognize that Troy could still outflank and gun him down, especially with his teleportation powers.  Sneering, the Wolf said, “I’m not telling you anything.”

                “No matter,” Troy shrugged. “The Pantheon can take you in, and they have ways of making you talk.”

                “They’ll never cage me!”

                Snipes suddenly moved, and Troy snapped a shot at him.  The laser beam from his gun missed the Wolf by mere inches; the blast cut the air behind him, singeing some of his long black hair.  The beam continued into the enforcer vehicle, boring a clean, smoldering hole in the metal siding.

                It took an instant for Snipes to climb into the enforcer’s vehicle and move to the front seat.  Taking the controls, he flew the vehicle over the street and accelerated toward the nearest highway.  As the vehicle flew away, Troy aimed with his pistol and snapped another shot.  A bright red beam lanced toward the hovercraft, striking its underside and blowing another hole in its chassis.  A shower of sparks followed, and the vehicle tilted to one side; it was an indication that Troy had struck a vital system.

                Transporting himself, Troy zoomed over the street and flew in tandem with the enforcer vehicle.  He pushed himself fast enough to catch up to it; he brought himself side-by-side with its driver’s side window, and could see Snipes through the glass.  He saw Troy’s disembodied mist, and reacted by veering the hovercraft into him.  The vehicle swerved sharply in the air, passing directly through Troy’s vaporous form.

                The vehicle glided toward a skyscraper; Snipes tried to bank around it, but thanks to the damage the hovercraft sustained from Troy’s gunshot, it was unable to turn effectively.  Striking the side of the building, the vehicle scraped against the concrete wall with an explosion of sparks and flying shrapnel.  Continuing forward, it dived and spiraled toward a highway.

                Raised high above the lower levels of the city, the highway was a major bloodline to the heart of the city.  There were hundreds of cars and light hovercraft speeding along its smooth stone surface.  When the damaged enforcer vehicle slammed into the middle of the highway, several cars immediately struck the wrecked vehicle; one of them rammed straight into the vehicle’s side, crunching its hood in with a shower of broken glass and metal.  Two others struck the crashed ship at odd angles, causing them to flip and vault into the air; they flew for a short distance, before landing hard on the road with earthshattering crunches.  Behind the wrecked vehicles, more cars skidded to a sudden halt, causing more of them to crash into each other.

                Climbing out of the smashed enforcer vehicle, Snipes had a deep gash on his scalp that trickled blood.  He staggered onto the road, disoriented.

                Flying into the scene of the accident, Troy appeared behind Snipes and pressed his gun against the Wolf’s head.  Troy firmly iterated, “It was a nice attempt at escape, but it was completely reckless.  The Pantheon won’t let this carnage go unpunished.”

                “You think this is carnage?” the Wolf scoffed. “You haven’t seen anything yet!”

                “Oh? Tell me what you know then.”

                “You’ll find out soon enough! A plague is coming to this city of gods, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it!”

                Before Troy to inquire any further, Snipes darted forward, and he crossed the median.  Troy reacted by snapping several shots at the Wolf; one of his laser beams grazed his enemy’s leg, burning through the pant leg and drawing blood.  Snipes shouted in pain, but continued to run into highway traffic.

                Stepping into the busy road, he faced an oncoming car.  It skidded to a halt with its horn blaring.  Leaping, Snipes jumped onto the car’s hood, just as it bore down on him.  Running over the car’s roof, he leapt onto another car in the next lane.  Landing on the car’s hood, his body weight crunched the metal inward.  In a panic, the car’s driver slammed on the brakes and sent the car into a skidding turn.  It flung Snipes off of the hood, and he rolled across the street.

                With two stopped cars in the middle of the highway, cars came to a stop and cautiously moved around the vehicles.  One car roared past Snipes; he reached up with a clawed hand and grabbed onto the car’s side door.  As the car sped forward, it dragged the Wolf among; he used his other clawed hand to grip into the car’s side and pull himself up.  He clung to the roof and rode the car further down the highway.

                Teleporting, Troy appeared as a brilliant comet hovering in tandem with the car.  Snipes snarled at the disembodied specter.  Veering into him, Troy materialized for a split-second, to shove Snipes firmly in the chest.  Knocked off of the car, he tumbled off and landed on the hood of another car in the next lane.  It was a strong enough impact to smash in the car’s hood, crippling the engine and forcing the car to slow to a halt.

                Reacting to the accident, other cars slowed and continued around the stopped car.  Troy materialized beside the stopped vehicle.  Seeing him appear out of the blue haze, Snipes immediately ripped open the car’s door and grabbed its driver.  He held up a young blonde girl, who screamed in terror and squirmed against his grasp.

                When Troy came to full human form, he saw the hostage and immediately trained his gun at Snipe’s head.  While the Wolf held up the woman with one hand, he brought his other hand to her throat, with his claws extended.  He warned, “Time for the moment of truth, hero! You could take me in, or you can save this girl!”

                Just a few miles down the road, where the other accidents occurred, sirens rang out, and more enforcer vehicles hovered around the highway.  Troy said, “You’ll never get far.”

                “Then your choice has been made! Catch her if you can!”

                Snipes threw the girl over the side of the highway, with the ease of tossing a rag doll.  Flying over the guardrail, she plummeted through the air to the city blocks hundreds of feet below.  Her scream was shrill and constant, and gradually faded the further she fell.

                Troy had only an instant to react.  He could have taken a shot at Snipes, but he feared that the falling girl would have died by the time he aimed and fired.  Instead, he teleported and raced after the girl.  His vaporous form fell through the road, and he zoomed toward the freefalling figure.  She was halfway to the ground; the buildings beneath them were rising up like teeth, threatening to devour the falling hostage.

                The combination of gravity and speed helped Troy cross over a hundred feet within seconds.   Honing in on the girl, his immaterial form wrapped around her, before he materialized.  It took only a second for him to grab her and teleport again.  Together, they disappeared in mid-fall, turning into a singular stream of glowing particles.

                Troy led them back to the highway, and he materialized on the side of the road next to the wrecked car.  When he reappeared, he released the girl, and she staggered on the ground disoriented and confused.  Once she realized that she was out of danger, she regarded Troy with astonishment and pleaded, “Oh my God, I thought I was going to die!”

                “Oh no, we couldn’t have that,” Troy remarked.

                “Thank you so much, mister! You are a real hero! I owe you my life!”

                Looking around, Troy saw no sign of the Wolf.  As expected, he made a clean escape, and Troy felt disappointed.