Review: We Bought a Zoo
“It’s a zoo.” Is not something you would expect to hear when looking for a new place to live. But that is one Benjamin Mee hears when he thinks he’s found the perfect place to start a new, six months after his wife dies. His little girl Rosie is thrilled. His son Dylan, not so much. His new staff is skeptical and especially his new Zoo Keeper Kelly. But he is determined to make it work. For his family, for the grounds, for the crew and for the animals. That is how We Bought a Zoo stars. And if you’re as movie-savvy as me you might be quick to classify it in the “Getting back on your feet after a tragedy” set of journey movies under the umbrella of light-drama. And you’ll be right. It is that kind of movie. And it’s a stellar example of its kind. The first thing you probably don’t really need to know is that We Bought a Zoo is based on a book, a memoir actually, written by Benjamin Mee who actually lived the story portrayed in this movie. Obviously certain dramatizations occurred but the basic story is true. This happened. And if you know this, I think the movie will be more powerful for you. Matt Damon is a capable actor in many respects and as he gets older, he allows himself more serious, emotional roles. Scarlett Johanssen shows us again why she is a very sought out actress. Their building relationship is subtle, not Continue Reading →
Posted in Reviews by Eran with comments disabled.
The Right to Complain Isn’t Free
We tend to take the right to complain for granted. It’s usually considered a basic human right. Sometimes it is referred to as the IDF soldier’s first prerogative. But it’s not that easy. Sometimes, you lose the right to complain. Basically, when you get free stuff. If someone gives you a gift, you can’t really complain. They didn’t have to give you anything. They did it out of the kindness of their heart. And if you complain you might discourage further gift giving in the future. And that is something you definitely don’t want to do. Let’s take Louis C.K.’s example (of a somewhat unrelated issue) of a guy sitting in an airplane complaining that the wifi is unavailable. Yes, you can tell him to shut up because he’s hurtling through the air swiftly and safely (Something unheard of slightly more than a hundred years ago) and he is getting an internet connection while flying on a plane (something quite inconceivable just a few years ago) but he is paying for that right, paying quite a lot actually, and thus has earned the right to complain. Though, I would argue, that his right to complain is reduced if he’s not actually paying and not getting his service. It especially irks me when I hear people complaining about pirated games. I mean, crying about a game not working when it is a cracked version. Dude, you didn’t pay for it, you don’t have the right to complain about its faults. You got Continue Reading →
Posted in Humanity, No Category, Thinking Out Loud by Eran with 4 comments.
Review: John Carter
I don’t think John Carter‘s problem was being late to the field. I think the story, at its base, is decent enough if a bit cliched. There are some plot threads that are left hanging and it could use a little boost of intelligence but it has spunk. The characters are cool, John Carter himself is cool and the white apes fight reminded me of the Rancor fight. This could have been good. I think the main problem are the actors. The chemistry is almost non-existent, between the two leads and pretty much anyone else. The two bad guys seem like stupid Disney villains… they’re villains… in a Disney movie… well, you get my point. And even though Princess Lynn Collins is the most talented of the bunch, she’s not that great either. And Taylor Kitch pretending to be Batman pretending to be John Carter of Mars is almost completely unrelatable. I mean, his back story, which I remember working in other movies (even in Star Wars) simply did nothing for me this time around. So, it’s not John Carter’s fault, me thinks. With a tighter script, just a bit more cohesion and a set serious actors (Like the cast of Chronicles of Riddick – which was very similar and awesome, don’t argue), this could have been a good movie. But like this, I would recommended you avoid it unless you really have time on your hands or a serious movie freak like me (because time is still a luxury).
Posted in Reviews by Eran with 2 comments.
Portal 3 Anyone?
I was thinking, Portal 2 ends with “Want You Gone” and it has the line. “You have you short sad life left. That’s what I’m counting on.” That is, it’s like GlaDOS is counting on Chell not being a problem for very long. So, here’s an idea. Portal 3: Lots of years in the future, Chell’s granddaughter is the first one to take her grandmother’s story seriously. That is, after she finds the age old portal gun in the attic. And she has her grandmother’s persistence and is even more proactive. She follows the parts/serial numbers/sales receipt back to Aperture Labs where she finds an advanced GlaDOS, an advanced testing program, more gizmos, more weird stuff, a better portal gun (that works on more surfaces), adversary robots (Hello, Atlas, P-Body and friends) who try to foil her with their own portal weapons, and where she might need to stop GlaDOS from consuming the world with her testing initiative. Valve… Here’s your pitch. Go.
Posted in Gaming, Geekdom by Eran with 4 comments.
Review: The Matrix DeZIONized
Basically, the second and third movies of the Matrix trilogy pulled into one with out any of the Zion scenes. The end result: A two and a half hour movie that actually has better pacing, allows you to follow the plot, is tighter and doesn’t really delve into stupidity. Too much. There are the occasional moments where you think this might be silly or cliche but hey, it’s the Matrix. They popularized if not invented this shit. Over all, there are two thing I can say about it. I consider it the definitive ONLY sequel to the great movie that is the Matrix. It’s not a perfect one but it’s better than Reloaded and Revolutions combined on their own. The editors are right. Sometimes, less is more. So, I would recommend it on that regard. The second thing is, if you haven’t seen the Matrix sequels yet, you should probably watch this. It’s better. If you have, you probably have one of two opinions. You either thought the movies were somewhere between ok and good. Or you think they were somewhere between shit and an abomination. If you are of the latter category, there is probably not a lot I can say that would convince you. If you are of the former, I urge you to give this another go. You might be surprised.
Posted in Reviews by Eran with 5 comments.
Syndicate Reboot Didn’t Work
That’s the quote from a release made a while ago by an “EA Boss”. No, you idiot EA boss, I’ll tell you the nature of resurrecting old IP. You need to make the same game but with newer tech and a new story; Not to completely change the fundamental aspects of what made the previous game awesome. You just can’t take a tactical cyberpunk game and make it into a 3D shooting gallery. As was previously said: Those who aren’t familiar with Syndicate will stay away from it, afraid they won’t get it. And those that are will be extremely disappointed with the new game because it’s not the old one. So you can just admit you already had the game and were afraid to venture on a new IP so you took the Syndicate name and a few gimmicks and called it a game. Gibeau further explained that EA has “numerous brands” that he finds worthy of making a comeback. He did not say what any of these properties were, but said it’s possible these franchises could be reborn on next-generation platforms. Translation: As one of the biggest gaming companies on the planet, we own a lot of your childhood memories and will feel free to rummage through them in search of names that will trigger your insatiable nostalgia and then we will make a 3D shooting gallery out of them just to spite you. And they aren’t the only ones committing this sin. But you know what the worst Continue Reading →
Posted in Gaming, Less Interesting News, Practice, Thinking Out Loud by Eran with 2 comments.
What Struck Earth in 775?
Yes, that’s 775 CE. A huge increase in radiation levels over the course of a year with no known astronomical reason. I smell a secret history story. Anyone?
Posted in From the Writing Desk, Thinking Out Loud by Eran with comments disabled.
Review: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour
You know that saying: “The comic is better”? Well, in this case, I have no choice but to sadly inform you that this is true once again. Looking back at the six books of the Scott Pilgrim series, I have to say… I really really liked it. For those who watched the movie, it was made during the writing of the fourth book. Thus, the first three are very similar to the movie, the fourth has some similarities (that is about the point where Scott meets Ramona’s evil ex-girlfriend) and the last two (the twins and Gideon) diverge quite wildly. I wouldn’t say the movie is bad, I also like it very much, but the comics is deeper, explores more of the characters’ relationships and explains many things that the movie left open, such as those subspace tunnels Ramona takes. It also rewrites Ramona’s disappearance (which makes more sense, I think) and makes Gideon’s obsession a bit more reasonable, if still a bit whacky. But what really resonates is the fact that Brian O’Malley is telling a story here. No, it’s not like he wrote a story from above and now you are reading it. It’s like he’s telling you a cool story he witnessed. Complete with references, characters breaking the fourth wall, meta-explanations and Scott being an almost complete douche. Making his evolution much more compelling. Since this is my first foray back into reading comics since I stopped several years ago I have to remark on comics in Continue Reading →
Posted in No Category by Eran with comments disabled.
DOTA 2 will be free to play
After conducting the Torchlight vs Diablo discussion for a bit and after reading this, I have to say that Valve, despite being insanely tardy and negligent on the side of their Half-Life property, still know how to release a game. In summary, it goes like this: “Here is a game, it is of one of the most popular yet least populated (by major releases) genres today. This game is completely free to play. As soon as it launches, you can just go play it. There is an in-game store where you can pay real money for stuff that will make you cooler than others. But if you don’t want to spend money, you don’t have to. The items for sale are just cosmetic, they don’t affect the core gameplay. And you have a creation tool in there where you can extend the game by yourself. We will make your extension official and you will get paid for it if it is good enough.” And they also have a matchmaking multiplayer system, an AI mechanic in case your opponent accidentally disconnects, and tutorial line ups where masters can teach the newbies. I think the only thing missing from this release is a big fluffy bunny you can put on your lap and pet for the enhanced experience.
Posted in Gaming, Less Interesting News, Practice, Thinking Out Loud by Eran with 3 comments.
Review: Journey 2 – The Mysterious Island
Some years after the original Journey to the Center of the Earth, Josh Hutcherson returns (without Brendan Fraisier or whoever played his sister) to the second movie. This one is about finding Verne’s mysterious island, also known as the island of the Liliputans, Treasure Island and probably Laputa as well. I have to say, I kinda liked the previous Journey. It was kitschy and kiddy but kind of cute and fun and a good use of the 3D tech. This one however was so silly and dumb that I wanted to punch pretty much every single character. The motivations and mechanics of plot are illogical. It seems that every character is more stupid than the last and pretty much nothing makes sense. It basically looks like they had great fun writing it and great fun making it but nothing else. Skip it. And probably the one that will be coming in 2014.
Posted in Reviews by Eran with comments disabled.