02-11-09

Coraline: A modern day Wizard of Oz

Coraline is one of those movies I knew I would love before I even knew anything about it. Between being written by fantasy god Neil Gaiman, directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas), and featuring dark and dreamy stop-motion visuals, it just had my name written all over it. Nevermind that I had never read the story*. I knew I had to see this movie the moment I heard about it.

And I was not disappointed.

From beginning to end, Coraline is an absolute delight on the eyes and ears. It was sort of like watching the inhabitants of a Victorian dollhouse come alive and invite the entire toy box over for tea. Every character was lovably quirky, funny, and memorable; including the personalities of the not-always-inanimate objects. Even the voice acting of Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher, two actresses whom I ordinarily don’t care for, was very well done. I found myself so absorbed that it didn’t even occur to me which famous person I was listening to, which is one thing I typically dislike about animated films–I tend to hear the celebrity, not the character.

And the visuals were top-notch, as usual, which seems to be standard for all of Henry Selick’s pictures so far. Kudos to LAIKA animation studio and the hundreds of talented people who brought the world of Coraline to brilliant life.

But Coraline isn’t just eye candy. Like most of Gaiman’s stories, Coraline has a good message, and delivers it with a bit of clever wit wrapped in childlike intrigue. Moviegoers may find Coraline’s storyline similar to Mirrormask, another of Gaiman’s stories-turned-movie, in which a young girl becomes disenchanted with her life and parents, escaping to a dreamworld where the grass seems greener at first, but soon discovers it to be a warped and nightmarish version of her own reality.

I’ve seen some critics already refer to this movie as a classic, and I don’t think I would disagree with that. In many ways, the story of Coraline is reminiscent of another classic, The Wizard of Oz. And like Dorothy, Coraline reminds us that there’s no place like home.

*Note to the book Nazis: Coraline is pretty faithful to its source material.

01-02-09

Rock Band 2: The Perfect Game

Okay, I know Rock Band 2 has been out for a few months, but after getting it for Christmas and being completely consumed by it ever since, I feel more than a little compelled to declare my love for it.

My previous Rock Band experience had been limited to a one-night stand with Rock Band 1 at a seedy karaoke bar in Baltimore where the guitars and drums had seen better days and the same bunch of drunk douchebags kept getting up to play “Wanted Dead Or Alive” over and over and over again.  And knowing how expensive it was to buy the whole outfit, I figured I’d wait it out and keep myself occupied with the Guitar Hero series I already owned and loved for PS2.  Besides, I had heard about Rock Band’s hardware issues, the drums breaking, the guitar’s strummer sucking, and felt fully justified not ever buying it.

So when Rock Band 2 came out and I heard about all its features, new songs, and improvements over the original Rock Band, it immediately went on my wishlist.  But being somewhat broke around that time and trying to save money for Christmas shopping, I held off.

And then I got Rock Band 2 for Christmas, and I felt like Ralphie opening his Red Ryder BB gun.

Fun Solo Play

I took it home and set it up immediately, where it is currently dominating my living room.  I cranked the volume on my surround sound system and tried a couple of Quickplay Solos on the guitar just to warm things up–I’ve had difficutly putting it down ever since.  Since I was already familiar with the Guitar Hero series, I had no problems playing guitar for Rock Band 2 and was suprised at the quality of the guitar controller.  Very smooth, nicely weighted, and realistic-looking.  Next I tried out the drums, which I had never played before, and I admit it took some getting used to.  My hand-eye coordination is awesome, but my foot-eye coordination?  Not so much.  Hitting those beats embedded in the foot pedal beats were rough, and I’m glad nobody was around on my maiden voyage of rock to watch me make a complete fool of myself.  But still, the drums are FUN.  Surprisingly so.  And I’m getting better.  Then I tried out the mic and sang for a few songs (again grateful that nobody was around) and by that point the sun was coming up and I couldn’t tell you where the time went.

Awesome Multiplayer

The next night I invited family over, anxious to try out the multiplayer.  I should preface this by saying  that except for my brother-in-law, my family does NOT play video games.  But with a few drinks in them and my sincere promise not to laugh, they let loose–on Easy mode, of course.  The gameplay is so infectious on multiplayer since everyone’s trying to do their best so they don’t screw up the song for the other people in the band.  And it helps that the music is great.  I was really impressed how much fun it was for a bunch of non-gamers.  Also, the character creation process was really fun; everyone had a good time with that.

Tour Mode is Addictive

Then my boyfriend and I started a band (I’m the drummer, he’s the lead guitarist) and playing through all the venues and racking up fans and cash is super fun.  Although I think some gigs completely whore you–$20 bucks for a 5-star performance?  Seriously, GTFO.  Warning: playing Rock Band 2 with your significant other will lead to arguments.  Like when I want to spend all our money on cute slutty outfits for my character, and he wants to save up for better quality instruments.

New to Rock Band period?

Here’s why you should buy Rock Band 2 instead of Rock Band 1:

• Ability to purchase lots of additional tracks = unlimited replay value
• Improved drum set, compatible with cymbal kit add-on (sold separately)
• Improved guitar with better strum bar and more realistic feel
• You can import all the songs from Rock Band 1 (for $5/500 points)
• No Fail mode
• Online world tour play

I can’t see any reason to even go back and purchase Rock Band 1.  Rock Band 2 is really that much better.

Awesome solo game?  Check.  Awesome multiplayer game?  Check.  Kickass music?  Check.  Fun for both gamers and non-gamers?  Check.  Just a few reasons why I think Rock Band 2 is the perfect game.

12-31-08

2008 Kind of Sucked for Gamers

So it’s New Year’s Eve, and right on cue my annual bout of gamer’s retrospection is kicking in.  This is normally the part where I look back on all the games that came out during the year and reflect on how awesome the year in gaming has been.  But as 2008 comes to a close, I’m left feeling more disappointed than affectionate over this past year’s offerings.  And I’ve come to a somewhat alarming realization: 2008 kind of sucked for gamers.

2008 was supposed to be “the year for gamers” right?  But what did that really mean?  For the video game industry (well, except perhaps Sony) it meant huge sales figures and overhyped sold-out game launches, despite the failing economy.  (What recession?)

But for us gamers, 2008 was mostly a year of sequels and rehashes that we gladly lined up and shelled out big bucks for–again.  Blockbuster titles like Grand Theft Auto IV, Fallout 3, Fable 2, Gears of War 2… Noticing a pattern here?  Where was the originality and innovation in 2008?  And I’m not just talking about killer graphics–that’s something none of these games were short on.  I’m talking about the gameplay itself.  Riveting and unpredictable storylines, amazing characters, truly immersive worlds you can spend hours getting lost in–where were these things?  The games of 2008 seemed to be all style over substance, more hype and high-tech than moving and memorable.  Brittany Vincent over at TGR sums up my feeling exactly.  Where is the heart?

What was this year’s big “it” game?  GTA IV, according to Spike TV who awarded it Game of the Year.  Seriously?  I wonder how dead the horse has to be before the game companies stop beating it.  I don’t think I could bear another Call of Final Grand Theft of War 5 release.  I don’t care how realistic a game looks if that’s the only thing worth playing it for.  I don’t care if I can pick up and throw every object I see.

What I do care about is “that feeling” and I’m sure you know the one I mean–that euphoric feeling that can only come from playing a really amazing video game.  And that’s something 2008 hasn’t given me.

12-12-08

Sony PS3 Sales Slip, Not Surprisingly

Today CNN Money reports that sales of Sony’s PS3 have plummeted 19% from last year’s figures and the console is literally “dying on the shelves.”  Meanwhile, Xbox 360’s 2008 sales have improved over 2007 and Nintendo’s Wii continues to be a sellout since its launch.

So why am I not surprised?

Huge Pricetag

When it launched in November 2006, the PS3 cost $500 for a 40G model, and $600 for a 60G model.  And that price only included one controller and no games.  Who could afford to spend that kind of money on a bare-bones video game console?  Certainly not me, and I’m a single adult in the 18-35 demo with a great job who loves video games–their target market.  So I can’t even imagine how parents struggled to afford this price-bloated piece of plastic plus a $60 game game or two, trying to give their kid a merry Christmas.

But even though the console’s price has dropped several times and there’s now a wider range of models to choose from, the still-pricey PS3 continues to struggle.  If Sony’s console sales hadn’t been disappointing since launch, I might chalk it up to the recession, but that’s not easy to do when nearly every other game company seems to be thriving despite the economy’s current hard knocks.

Console Competition

When it comes to video games, Sony is a relative newcomer to the scene compared to Nintendo who has maintained a huge following since the original NES ignited a love for video games in many of our hearts as kids in the 80s.  And over the years, Nintendo has always put out quality systems (I like to pretend VirtualBoy never existed) with great libraries of games that have been fun and innovative.  The Wii, despite its silly name, was destined to be just as successful.  So why did Sony think it was a good idea to choose a launch date for PS3 so close to the Wii’s?  This is where I think they really underestimated the competition.

The PS3 also launched at a time when the Xbox 360 had been out for a year already.  But Microsoft had been quietly biding its time improving the 360’s hardware, building up a solid library of games, and winning players over with its Xbox Live experience.  If Sony was expecting 360 owners to buy a PS3 as well, they certainly didn’t have much of anything new to offer.  I’m willing to bet that most people who already owned 360s went out and bought Wiis instead.

Nothing New to Offer

Sure the PS3 has “amazing graphics”, which has been its main selling point.  But is that all that really matters to gamers?  Sony’s sales have indicated otherwise.  Other than improved graphics and offering a Blu-Ray player at a time when most people didn’t even know what Blue-Ray was, what else did the PS3 offer?  Certainly not an impressive library of games or innovative design over its predecessors.  Even the PS3’s controller design was more of the same.

Disappointing Game Library

The PS3 launched with a pretty underwhelming selction of games that either nobody heard of, or titles that had already been out a long time on the 360.  Compare that to Nintendo Wii, whose launch titles included mega hits like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.  Sony should have offset the console’s huge pricetag by at least offering more compelling titles, especially at launch.  If a console has great games, gamers tend to overlook the price, no matter how ridiculous.  After all, what good is a technologically superior video game system if it doesn’t have good games?   Like many, instead of buying a PS3, I waited to see if any titles would launch later on that compelled me enough to purchase this system.  Two years later, I’m still waiting.

It will be interesting to see what Sony does to try to win over gamers and dig itself out of its hole.  CNN suggests deep price discounts–that would certainly help.  I guess.  My advice to Sony: count your losses and just focus on Playstation 4.

12-04-08

New Documentary for Disgruntled Star Wars Fanboys (and Fangirls)

I have a love/hate relationship with George Lucas.  I suspect we all do.  On the love side he has given us masterpieces like the original Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, and on the hate side he’s shit out things like Jar Jar Binks and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

So naturally my interest was peaked when I heard about upcoming documentary film The People vs. George Lucas, that “explores the unique, ambivalent, and sometimes conflicted relationship that Star Wars fans, for the past thirty years, continue to enjoy with the Star Wars franchise and its creator, George Lucas.”

I don’t know if “enjoy” is the right word, but “conflicted” is true enough.  Haven’t we all had those moments of quiet reflection upon our 85th re-watch of The Empire Strikes Back where we think to ourselves how life was somehow better in the days before George “perfected” his vision?  Anyone?

The documentary will voice opinions from fans on both sides of the Lucas love/hate dichotomy, and is currently soliciting contributions–in the form of self-interview video submissions–from Star Wars fans around the globe.  Some lucky fans may even end up starring in the film–how cool is that?  The film’s website has a link to a detailed submission guidelines PDF (and of course a release form).

So if you’re an opinionated Star Wars fan, now’s your chance to grab a video camera and air your complaints and grievances and/or undying love for George Lucas.

12-03-08

The Twilight Effect: A Followup

A few days ago I wrote about a curious phenomenon I’m calling The Twilight Effect, or in other words, how a movie and book series full of mediocrity and unintentional hilarity aimed at 15-year-old girls has managed to completely captivate thousands of otherwise sensible grown women with (usually) good taste.

Exhibit A

Since my boyfriend would sooner light himself on fire than be caught dead seeing Twilight, I dragged three of my girlfriends–who were complete Twilight virgins–out to the theater on a cold, snowy Friday night.  On my left was Joanna, who I can always count on to embrace the cheesiness of any dorky phase I happen to be going through.  She thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and bless her, had no problem admitting that.

Exhibit B

And on Joanna’s other side sat my much snarkier friends Julie and Stephanie, who spent most of the movie making fun of it (“OMFG GLITTER VAMPIRES!?”). Which is precisely why I find these emails hilarious:

Finally, and most alarmingly–

Exhibit C

My 70-something year old Grandmother asked to borrow my books.  (And she loved them.)

11-28-08

A vampire movie done right

How does a movie manage to be dark and deeply disturbing, yet tender and touching in the same breath? Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) is a beautifully-told macabre fantasy story that accomplishes exactly that.

Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is a quiet but troubled twelve year old who is bullied by his classmates and doesn’t know how to stand up for himself. His life begins to change when he befriends Eli (Lina Leandersson), the mysterious girl who moves into the apartment next door.  But when Oskar’s small snowy hometown is devastated by a series of grisly murders, he starts to realize his new best friend and love interest is not the girl she pretends to be.

Let the Right One In is part coming of age story, part atmospheric horror.  Never too obvious or overly deliberate, it’s a subtle and slowly-building story punctuated by gory visuals that are jarringly terrifying against the film’s otherwise serene and isolated snowbound setting.  Director Tomas Alfredson’s use of special effects is welcomingly understated in favor of a few blink-and-you-might-miss them moments of pure shock, underscored by gruesome visuals and an uncomfortable feeling of foreboding.

Most disturbing, however, is Oskar’s dangerous infatuation with Eli despite the horrifying things she is capable of.  It’s the focus on the delicate relationship between these two alienated youths that really sets this film apart and establishes new standards for what good vampire movies should be.

11-26-08

Top 5 Most Anticipated Fantasy Flicks for 2009

#5 -The Elfstones of Shannara

The Elfstones of Shannara is the story of two intertwined destinies–that of Wil Ohmsford, grandson of legendary Shea Ohmsford, and Amberle Elessedil, who must go on a quest together to save the Ellcrys, the dying Elvish tree.  Ellcrys remains the last stronghold of magic protecting The Four Lands from the onslaught of the Demon World, and only Amberle, last disciple of the Druid Allanon, has the power to save it.

Director Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) will bring The Elfstones of Shannara, the second book of The Original Shanarra Trilogy by Terry Brooks, to the big screen in 2009, release date to be announced.

#4 – The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is a contemporary fantasy that mixes ancient philosophy and renaissance history with a modern-day setting. Twin teens Josh and Sophie Newman work at a San Francisco bookstore/café for a bookkeeper whom they soon discover is actually Nicholas Flemel, the legendary ancient alchemist and keeper of The Codex. Nicholas and his wife Perenelle have been living eternally by drinking the Elixir of Life. When necromancer Dr. John Dee steals The Codex, Josh and Sophie are unexpectedly drawn into a world of magic and mystery to help Nicholas recover The Codex or face the world’s destruction at Dee’s hand.

The first book of the six-part The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Irish author Michael Scott, The Alchemyst will be a major motion picture by New Line Cinema in 2009. The film is currently in pre-production, with no official release date yet.

#3 – Inkheart

Inkheart is the story of a bookish young girl named Meggie and her father Mo, who has an extraordinary ability: when he reads books aloud, he brings them to life. The first book of the widely successful Inkworld trilogy, Inkheart is a charming tale by beloved children’s author Cornelia Funke. Similar to 2008’s The Spiderwick Chronicles, Inkheart is geared toward a younger audience set, and a definite family film.

Although not one of my favorite books (surprising, considering how much I adored The Thief Lord also by Cornelia Funke), the film’s trailer looks promising enough, and full of action, which is something I felt the book sorely lacked. Inkheart stars Brendan Frasier as Mo and child star Eliza Bennett as Meggie, and is set for a January 2009 release.

#2 – Warcraft

What we know: Warcraft will be a live-action movie by Legendary Pictures based on Blizzard’s hugely popular Warcraft series of PC games and World of Warcraft, the massively successful MMO. The PG-13 rated movie will be told from an Alliance perspective, and its storyline will be set one year before the events that unfold in World of Warcraft.

What we don’t know: Anything else. There’s still no images, no trailers. Not even an official web site. Yet Blizzard has confirmed, through a series of cryptic winks and nudges, that this movie is still very much in production. It’s hard to believe this movie will be a reality in 2009, considering how shrouded in mystery it seems to be. Not a word was breathed about the film at BlizzCon 2008, a huge disappointment for thousands of fans anxious for any kind of update they can get.

Update 1/23/2009: Quote from Blizzard:

“We are in fact working on a movie with Legendary Pictures, but we don’t have any new information to share with everyone just yet. At the 2007 BlizzCon, we even had a special panel with a little bit about the plans for the film. I’m sure you can find video on it or reports on it.

Just as an additional informational bit, it will be Live Action.

I’m quite sure there will be plenty of action, but there’s a story to be told too. I couldn’t tell you more though.”

Update 7/22/2009:  Sam Raimi confirmed as director!!

#1 – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Imagine looking forward to a movie you’re really excited about. Not just any movie, but the sixth and most crucial film adaptation of the bestselling book series of all time. The release date draws near. You start seeing posters, promotions, production stills. Your excitement builds. You watch the trailer, and it looks amazing. You cannot wait to pre-order your tickets. And then you find out it’s getting delayed. By eight months.

That’s exactly what Warner Bros. did to millions of excited Potter fans eagerly awaiting the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Just two months before the film’s originally-scheduled November 2008 release date, Warner Bros. announced it would be moving the release date to July 2009. The backlash was immediate. There were petitions, boycotts, and a flood of strongly-worded emails to Warner Bros. studio execs. Their reasoning—some vague excuse about the writers’ strike impacting their bottom line—was hard to swallow, especially after watching them rake in hundreds of millions from last summer’s box office megahit The Dark Knight. Yet despite our outrage, we all know that come next July we’ll still be pre-ordering our tickets and lining up in droves at the eventual midnight release.

(I’m still bitter, can’t you tell?)

11-26-08

The Twilight Effect

Last Friday night, I dragged three of my girlfriends out to the movies to see a little film called Twilight. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?

If you haven’t, I will assume you’re either a shut-in or a male.  After all, it was a 75% female-dominated audience that contributed to Twilight’s staggering $70 million opening weekend, a huge coupe for director Catherine Hardwicke and Summit Entertainment.  To help put that figure in perspective, Twilight’s success ranks in the top 4 November box office figures of all time–ahead of summer blockbuster Transformers, and the latest James Bond flick . As it turns out, Twilight also boasts the highest ranking box office debut ever for a female director.  Considering the economic crisis we’re supposed to be in, these numbers are even more impressive.  So impressive, in fact, that Summit Entertainment has already announced plans to begin pre-production on Twilight’s sequel, New Moon.

But none of this news comes as a surprise to Twilight’s legions of diehard fans, whose fierce display of buying power previously helped propel all four books of The Twilight Saga onto the bestseller list, and keep them there, making author Stephenie Meyer a huge success.  Even Eclipse, Meyer’s third book of the series, dethroned Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from the bestseller list.

But let’s back up to a few months ago, before I had so much as read a single page of this hugely popular series, before I saw the movie (twice), and before I knew I was on Team Edward, or that there even was a Team Edward.  I remember casually surfing the interwebs, minding my business as usual, and coming across an occasional Twilight glimmer: a movie ad, a book review, some obsessed fangirl’s glittering “Bella ♥’s Edward” forum signature.  It was easy enough to ignore–at first.  But it wasn’t long before Twilight propaganda seemed to creep into every facet of every web site I ever visited.  (My hat’s off to whomever is behind Twilight’s aggressive web marketing campaign, by the way.)  So I guess it was inevitable that I’d eventually click one of the ads and watch the movie trailer, right?

My reaction went something like this:

• That looks pretty cool, I guess…
• And that vampire guy is pretty hot!
• Oh hey, it’s Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
• I’m a Harry Potter fan, maybe I’ll like this movie too?
• And Paramore is on the soundtrack!? I LOVE Paramore!
• November 21st? What a coincidence, because that’s the same weekend Half-Blood Prince was supposed to come out…

The next thing I knew, I was headed for the local library to check out the first book, which I soon discovered was a complete impossibility.  Checked out; on hold; back-ordered; transferred to another branch–every single one of the fifty-something copies fell into one of these categories.  What was going on here?  Why is Twilight so popular?  Like many uninitiated fans before me, I set out to unravel this mystery.  Hell, I thought, maybe if the books are that good, I should just buy them.

So I did.

And that’s how I discovered the secret sauce, if you will, of what makes The Twilight Saga so successful.  The recipe consists of teen angst, sexual tension, impossibly good-looking main characters living impossibly idealistic lives, and a heavy dose of romance delivered to the sappiest degree possible.  Simply put, these books are pure escapism.  No real substance, but no real need for it, either.  I could elaborate further, but I’ve already done that here, here, and here.  Yet despite how unremarkable these books really are, I spent an entire week consumed by them.  And I’ve already seen the movie twice.  And I’m anxiously awaiting its sequel.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?