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Monday
Apr202015

What Keith's Playing: The Order: 1886

I didn't read any reviews of The Order before diving in. The game looked so beautiful and I loved the idea of a steam punk London full of knights and werewolves, I knew I wanted to play it. But now that I have played the game and read the reviews, I agree with them. Gameplay is a big issue. But that isn't my main complaint.

The Order follows Sir Galahad, a member of the Knights of the Round Table, as he defends London against both a rebellion and what are called half-breeds - or as we call them, werewolves. Sir Galahad and his leader, Sir Perceval, think there is more than what appears going on in Whitechapel and the rest of London. The game follows their investigation, the questions, and the turns that it takes.

The game really does play more like an interactive movie. The benefit of this, is that the game looks as good as the cut scenes and keeps you invested in the story. The downside is, there's not much to do. The shoot outs are limited, there's only one path through everything, no inventive ways to take out enemies or complete tasks. Most of the time is spent waiting to find out what button to press.

But really, the biggest problem is that they created this beautiful world, this amazing story world with Knights of the Round Table living centuries, supernatural beings, zeppelins, and Tesla building machine guns, and we only get this little story. A small story in this massive world. You don't get to explore anything else. You don't get an idea of the world that they live in except through brief glimpses of things as you travel through the main storyline. I want to be able to explore the world and see how beautiful it is. I want to see the ramifications that this world has. I want to know more about the Knights of the Round Table. The world that the story is told in is wasted on this single linear tale.

Not to mention that the single linear tale is too short. Maybe it's not a rip-off for $60 the way that Metal Gear Solid prequel was, but it's not too far off. I MAY replay this game once, but I have a feeling I'll try to soak up more of the world and just be annoyed that I can't.

I hope there's a sequel to The Order. I really, really do. I hope there is one and they learn from their mistakes. They get rid of repetitiveness and they open the world up a little bit more. Ideally, there would be a little more free running in there and options for both stealth mode or full-out action. The end credits certainly leave it open for that, and we can see more of the amazing world these creators built. It'd be nice if the series became a little more like Assassin's Creed in openness. Maybe even travel to the past and see how The Order survived from King Arthur to The Industrial Revolution and battled through the centuries with werewolves.

Friday
Feb202015

What Keith's Watching: Tusk (2014)

Tusk is a movie most people will not like. In fact, most people will not see it because the description of the film includes the idea of one man turning another man into a walrus. "Walrus" is perhaps the hardest part to get over in this sentence. Perhaps if the final animal had been a giraffe, people would be more accepting of it, but probably not.

Tusk is hard to pitch to people for another, more important reason. It is uncomparable to other movies. You can't call it X meets Y with a hint of Z. It's not like Human Centipede even though many people will say that. Because it's not just something done for shock value and it's made with great skill.

My confession now is that I don't regularly watch Horror movies, so maybe there is a viable comparison out there that I haven't seen. Tusk stands on it's own. To me it's a mix of Horror, Comedy, Mystery and a touch of Drama. Maybe that sounds like too much, but it's not. It's like the first time you see Pulp Fiction and you think that your best friend has has to see this, but you have no way to specifically tell him what it's like without giving away the plot. It works. That's the most important part of a movie though, isn't it.

Many will say, and have been saying, that weed has finally baked Kevin Smith's brain and the result that comes smoking in a casserole dish out of the oven is Tusk. I couldn't disagree more. The weed's affect has merely taken Smith back to a place where he is making movies for the purest reason of them all: for himself.

Isn't that why people started making films in the first place? To tell the stories they wanted. To express on screen a world, a character, a point they wanted to share with the world?

For the more adventurous moviegoer, Tusk is a must see. You may hate it, you may love it, but you should see it, if only to support your hatred. Support the idea of making the kind of movies you want to see to the up and coming filmmakers. It's also worth watching the amazing acting talents of Mr. Michael Parks. Why this gentleman doesn't have more mainstream roles and an Oscar nomination is beyond me. He makes the villain of the film one of the creepies I've ever seen. I would put him in that underground cell block with Hannibal Lector and Multiple Miggs.

I can tell you that Tusk is a weird movie. I can tell you over and over again that it'll be weird. But you'll still get to the end and say: "Fuck. That was weird movie." Hopefully, you'll be glad you watched it. Because you should be.

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Check out more movie talk on the latest episode of my podcast, Living Room Theatre, featuring permanent guest host, my wife!

Sunday
Jul202014

So Dream Something

A while ago, I replied to a post Ken LaSalle put on Reddit asking for guests for his podcast, So Dream Something. Ken talks to people that are following their dreams. Most of them have a monetary pursuit whether it be a niche store they opened, or writing for a particular website on a topic they love, or following their dream for a food truck. I wanted to point out that it doesn't necessarily have to have a profit behind it. Everything I've done the last couple years - creatively - has been for non-profit. Sure I've earned a few bucks here and there, but I still have a day job.

They thing that I think is important for everyone is that you don't have to have a profit in mind or sight when you follow a dream. Trying to find a way to profit from it, might make it seem pointless and discourage you from taking it very far. Sometimes it's best to follow a dream and do something as an extra. Live your 9 to 5 life, but have a dream on the side. The goal is to keep that dream alive and keep a little happiness in your life.

There are a lot of dreams out there that you can start with very little cost upfront (publishing a book electronically, or making a podcast), and then over time you can invest a little bit more as it grows if you want. But the point is just to have that dream and take action towards. At the end of the day you might not find your job rewarding, you might find other areas of your life mundane - like the fact that you now have to mow your lawn whenever your neighbor does. But if you're following a dream and taking pride in the results, you'll be living a better life - a happier life.

Since I started following my dreams more a couple years ago, my life and my happiness with that life have greatly improved. Things have happened I never would have expected and I wouldn't have it any other way. I sudder to think what things would be like had I not made that decision 2 years ago. So make that decision and do it. The world would be a better place if we all tried following our dreams more.

Listen to the complete episode of So Dream Something here:

Monday
Jul142014

What Keith's Watching: Joe (2014)

The last several years have seen the meteoric rise of Nicholas Cage jokes. Much of it is due to poor film choices like Ghost Rider, Knowing, Bangkok Dangerous - where he also played a surname-less Joe - and the National Treasure franchise. (For the record, I really enjoy Nic Cage in National Treasure, but the jokes write themselves.) But his latest, Joe, will hopefully usher in a fall of Cage jokes.

At it's heart, Joe is about a guy that lives by a code. He's had his problems, and tries to do the right thin, but may not always do it the right way. He knows he doesn't always do things the right way, but he's forced into action when he crosses paths with a young boy, Gary, and becomes an unlikely role model. It could be said that Gary is the past that Joe is wrestling with which is why Joe decides to get involved. He is the role model/hero he wished he had.

Joe reminds us of the fact that Nicholas Cage can act. It surpasses his other noteworthy performances like Bringing Out The Dead, Leaving Las Vegas, Raising Arizona, and Adaptation.

There is some patented Nic Cage yelling, but not as much as you'd expect. That Nic Cage yelling cadence is gone. Joe is a character with a haunted past and anger issues. Cage portrays this amazingly with many stoic pondering scenes. Perhaps he thought about his more recent choices in film to add some realizm.

Adding further disturbing realism to the film is Gary Poulter, who plays the role of the father. Poulter was a homeless man that was given the role by the director. His scenes are unsettling the way he acts towards his on-screen son and others for the pursuit of booze. (There is one particular scene that is disturbing, but extremely well done. I won't ruin it for those that have yet to see the film, but those who have, know what I'm talking about.) Given that Poulter was homeless and died before the movie's release, it's hard to say if he was acting or playing himself.

The other main character of the film is played by Tye Sheridan who provides another astounding performance as the adolescent foil in a follow-up to his performance Mud (which could be considered as a spiritual prequel to Joe.) Sheridan is quickly establishing himself as a new actor to keep an eye on.

I hope that Joe marks a turn in Cage's career and he heads back into stronger, more dramatic roles. I'd love to see Cage move away from cheap B-level action the way that McConaughey has slipped way from Romantic Comedies into a role in one of the best shows on TV.

The parallel now has me wondering: Has anyone considered Nicholas Cage for True Detective Season 2?

Monday
May192014

What Keith's Watching: Escape from Tomorrow (2013)

Escape From Tomorrow is a movie that will always be noted for the story behind it rather than the film itself.

The story behind it is that most of it was shot at Disneyland and Disneyworld, without the company's knowledge at all. It's truly guerilla filmmaking that was greatly aided by modern technology. Scripts were kept on iPhones and the film was shot with the type of SLR cameras that tourists would be seen using regularly at the parks. It's the kind of dedication and passion you don't often see in filmmaking these days - taking such big risks.

The other noteworthy part of this film's existence is that Disney allows it to exist. They are notoriously strict with their copyrights. But they wisely realized a lawsuit would just bring more attention to the film. There was surely the option to buy the movie distribution, but Disney made the wise choice to stick their fingers in their ears and sing: "la la la."

Now, the story is interesting even though there isn't a straightforward narrative. And when I say the story is interesting, I mean it's out there - it's bizarre. It's like Hunter S. Thompson took a trip to Disney with his family in a car loaded with ether. So if you weren't a fan of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, you may not enjoy watching a father slowly descend into madness and become obsessed with teenage French girls. There's also a strange turn at the end that almost seemed unnecessary.

Even still, Escape From Tomorrow is worth watching if only to think about everything they went through to get it made and encourage this type of experimental filmmaking. And just in case Disney does decided to do something about it.