Transformations is divided into three main sections: native American shapeshifters, werewolves and vampires. The shapeshifters chapter is filled with interesting images of masks and totems. The most interesting info were the stories about feral children. The other two sections cover medieval tales of killings that were attributed to werewolves and vampires. The stories really are just about serial killers who blamed their ravings on the supernatural. Overall, a solid entry in the series.
Apparently this is a highly divisive movie. Lots of one-star reviews and lots of five-star reviews. I liked it but I didn’t think it was great. It sets itself up as the ultimate puzzle movie where clues abound in every frame. Eventually you realize the point of the whole thing is that looking for meaning is futile. I can see why that would annoy viewers who are looking for nicely wrapped up answers. This cop-out thesis aside, there was a lot going on to keep me reasonably entertained. I’m sure a director’s commentary, where every little detail is revealed, would be really interesting to watch.
Picks up right where the first movie left off with the family battling Cliff Clavin. Every bit as fun as the original but a little too long and thematically not quite as strong. Pixar animation no longer excites the way it used to.
I can see why, in this time of everyone and their grandma being a cos-player, that this is a cult favorite. It’s a stylish, incredible looking movie filled with wonderful new wave fashion. Beyond the slick surface is it’s terrible editing, a stupid plot and a bit too many rape scenes for my tastes.
Nex Machina is the (almost) official follow-up to Robotron: 2084 or, as I like to call it, the greatest arcade game ever created. If you watch the credits you will see the Eugene Jarvis was the creative consultant for the game. As far as I’m concerned that means this is Robotron: 2085 (we’ll ignore Smash T.V. … NOT canon!).
It’s just as frantic and twitchy as ever, and the core game play remains the same: shoot everything that moves and save the humans. There is a far greater variety of enemies, boss battles, and the graphic effects are stellar. Improvements include lots of hidden collectibles, a variety of secondary weapons, the ability to dodge, and lots of differing level designs.On higher difficulties the game is tough as nails and requires a bullet-hell level of pattern memorization. I’ve managed to complete the game at the “Rookie” level. My problem is that my OCD kicks in, and I rage quit when I don’t finish a level without grabbing all the extra bonuses. I still think Geometry Wars is a more pure twin-stick shooter arcade experience but this one is a close second and worth every penny.
This has all the trappings of a boring, low-rent “guys doing kung-fu in an empty field because the producers were too cheap to build sets” martial arts film. It transcends its cheapness with an over-abundance of gravity defying wire-work and bad makeup effects. The whole “one-armed” thing has no bearing on the story whatsoever either. She loses the arm and three minutes later she’s back to slashing baddies. This is not a great film, but it certainly was fun.
Another walking simulator but this time with a horror theme. The whole point of this “game” is to make your way through an old haunted house and get hit with a jump scare every four minutes. At first this is very thrilling. After the fiftieth time, not so much. Technically there are about three puzzles in the game. Mostly you encounter a lock, look around the room, get hit with a jump scare, and then see the combination in the aftermath. On top of this, the story is lame and required too much effort searching around for notes and clues for me to care. Glad I didn’t have to pay for this one.
This is a track from my second computer music release called, Upgrade Downgrade (2001). The music was created in MadTracker 2 on a Windows 98 PC. The voice was from AnalogX’s SayIt software and most of the samples were probably found online somewhere.
Daughters of Darkness rivals Argento’s best work from the 70s in terms of style and design. Every frame is a masterpiece of bold colors (mostly red) and stark composition. Even the plain Helvetica opening credits are a visual treat. The story doesn’t quite hold up to the visuals, but it had enough going for it to keep me interested. Despite the vampire elements, this is definitely not a horror movie. It would make a nice double feature with The Duke of Burgundy.
I agreed with many of his main points on stereotyping, democracy, propaganda, and the inability for a potential voter to actually understand beyond their personal realm. But, man-o-man, this is not what I would call a “fun” read. Lots of 1920s news references and lots of rambling prose. I know I’m not the target audience here, but geez liven it up Walter. For what it’s worth, the book was very Hayekian in it’s view of the limits of knowledge. The final section puts forth the idea of establishing another layer of government called “intelligence agencies” which would independently gather “facts” for the public to use in determining opinions. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
