Something has to be our common literature–if we still have one. It should have something deep, something shallow, a degree of permanence, and a common mythology.
Once again, Roger Ebert has returned to his statement that “games could not be art.” Since he originally made that statement, he realized it was indefensible, adding that what he should have said was: “could not be high art, as I understand it.” Of course that statement is very easy to defend, given the...
Piranha II is James Cameron’s first feature movie, and Avatar is the most recent. How has his moral message and story-telling evolved? In Piranha II, you were likely to get killed by a carnivorous flying fish if: You are female and naked. You have sex unconnected to romance. You’re a somewhat ridiculous older woman....
I saw this movie as a child. It came in 1963, but as I saw it on television, it must have been later. Whatever age I was, my brother was three younger. I can remember, after watching the movie, creeping my hand towards him from around corners, down from the top of the bunk-bed,...
Somehow, perhaps because my Netflix-enabled xBox360 is now practically a video store in my living room, I ended up watching an episode of Lost. My previous attitude towards Lost was a mixture of contempt and outrage that people where so devoted to it. Some people compared it to BSG. I kept comparing it to...
My old roommate watched reality shows, like I Love NY and Rock of Love. It was a total trainwreck, bad television gone worse, but there was something compelling in watching people be honestly stupid. Some things you just can’t coach. Yes, I know there is a bit of scripting, drama is encouraged, but you...
But there are degrees of badness within the Michael Bay category. Pearl Harbor was so bad they wrote a song about it. And Transformers 2: ROTFL, hurt.
After all, Michael Bay KNOWS IT SUCKS. But he's counting his money and laughing at us as we sit through it anyway.
Fox ran a “movie” called Virtuality tonight. Produced by Ronald Moore, the genius who crafted Battlestar Galactica, I thought it would be worth a look. It skitters dangerously close to rehashing things that have been done well already, but there is a core of original thought going on here. In fact, if things evolve...
Just because I don’t attend church doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate religions. I like religions. I like spirituality, and for most people the best place to find that is in church. (or equivalent). What I don’t like is the “one true” mentality. The Bible clearly says that God wants everyone to make it. (see...
Avatar vs. Star Wars
One podcast I listen to made an interesting comparison between Avatar and Star Wars. Each movie raised the bar for blockbusters, as well as working in a genre that can be described as Space Opera. A little too easy and facile for Science Fiction, but set in a future universe. In fact, both movies...
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