Let's talk about Drive

Drive.

When you talk to people who actually watched the movie (which is a very small number) you will get a very binary review. Seriously, look it up on IMDB or any other review amalgamation site. People will either say it sucks all sorts of terrible things, or it should have swept the Oscars.

Because of this, I can't really recomend it. In fact, I can only tell you a cautionary tale. After watching this movie with one of my room mates, I loved it. We made so many jokes about this movie, like how awkward Ryan Gosling was as the film's serial-killer/getaway driver antagonist. We were captured in its Tarantino-esque charm. (Okay, maybe Tarantino is a bad comparison because it isn't intentionally funny. But the only other thing that even remotely resembles it that I've seen is Pulp Fiction.)

However, when I watched it with my dad, everything wrong with it became painfully obvious. The pacing is terrible. The music is atrocious. And then, a few things that were great about the movie, like Ryan Gosling's acting and chemistry with the love interest (played by Carey Mulligan) turned from gold to dog doo on your shoe.

So the moral of this story is be careful who you see this movie with. Just... make sure it's with someone who's irreverent and funny and likes movies with weirdness and violence.

Getting back into the swing of things

Finally, I have gotten myself together and posted some more story. Where last we left off, our friend David wasn't doing too well. Shot in the arm during a pitched shoot-out with Riker's goons, and one of his weapons non-functional, his only option is to attempt an escape. Can he make it? How can he do it with Rottweiler in control of the bottom floors?

Been Away Too Long

Yes, the title is a reference to the new Soundgarden single, and yes, Soundgarden rocks most of the time. But enough about them. You most likely came to listen to me talk about some random thing I've pulled out of my butt. Not an apology, although I may be mistaken.

While thinking about... well, I honestly have no idea what I was thinking about.

Anyway, when thinking about something important (in order of most important to most common: all the people/animals in my life who've been dying, finals, that paper due tomorrow that I had just started to write, that paper due in over a week I had started to write, video games, cafeteria food, etc.) I realized something. One of the most common criticisms of fictional characters is how dumb they are. For years, I have agreed with them. But then, for some reason, I thought about it.

The one thing inherent in all people, no matter what skin color, gender, religion, astral sign or whatever they are is that they are idiots. Ok, I suppose a term like "idiot" is hard to define, but its true. If you've ever known or observed someone who you think is exceptionally bright, you will see them do something stupid and think, "Man, that is dumb. How can someone that smart be so wrong?"

If, say, Albert Einstein can make a horrible mistake, then why can't some person in a movie? Also, if people can be dumb in real life, why can't they be dumb in that video game? However, the problem occurs when a writer keeps telling you a person is teh most smartest person evarr and keeps having that character act like an idiot. Or that stupid moron in horror movie investigates a strange noise after he knows three people have been murdered! [Author pants after screaming about stupid people in horror movies for five minutes.]

Anyway, after someone is in a movie does something stupid, please ask yourself several questions:

1. Do I know how I would react in his/her situation? In a horror or action story, or a story with a mystery, the characters are almost always under pressure. People under pressure make mistakes. When you are stressed after due to a heavy work load, you make mistakes. So, if the characters are being picked off one by one by someone or something hiding in the shadows, or if a bomb is set to go off in twenty seconds, forgive them their mistakes.
2. Have I been trained for this situation? Has the character been trained? The main reason I hate the movie Quarantine 2 is because of the SWAT officers in it. I admit that I have not been trained as a SWAT officer. But I feel I can make two assumptions: If ordered to fire, most SWAT members will open fire. When warnings to lie down and put hands above heads go ignored, most people with guns will see that excuse to unload the disobeying person full of lead. However, sometimes the answer to this question instead of making people seem like even bigger idiots gives them a perfectly good excuse.
3. Do I know something they don't?

What should Horsehead do?

Here comes Horsehead man!

This is Horsehead Man. His guitar has the ability to make people stop being violent. With this ability, he shall fight crime and defend the innocent around Worchester. Now, citizens, are there any super villains around?

State of the Blog #19

My cat is dying of cancer. I am one section behind (soon, in all realism to be two) in Algebra. I have to do a make-up essay for Sociology, plus another Soc essay and a tech essay. Add a new chapter of SWLC to it and I won't be leaving my dorm this weekend.

Question Number Has Nothing to do with Politics!

If anyone who looks at this blog is anything like me, (this being the internet and seeing the amount of page views I get) you just might be tired of politics by now. Possibly. So I have decided to save my left-leaning views for a time when it won't matter.

I have been playing a bit of FEAR 3 or F3AR as the people who can pronounce numbers call it with my more conservative room mate (he wishes Scott Brown would run for President, and will most likely get his wish in a few years.) However, we both really like F3AR. Even though I like FEAR 2 much better, F3AR probably has some of the best symbolism and character development. It is a good game DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY KILLED OFF THE PROTAGONIST FROM FEAR 2!!!

I would really have liked it if they had given that character (his name and rank is, or was, Sgt. Micheal Becket, and he was cruelly raped while defending this country) some more character development. The people behind F3AR put so much work (and dare I say love?) into characterizing both The Point Man and his psycho cannibal brother, Paxton Fettel. It is rare that someone like John Carpenter (he made The Thing, which I also love) can be skilled in two mediums. I suppose Steve Niles was also a major contributor, but I don't know his work at all so I can't guess what he contributed.

I suppose that since they brought Jin back and gave her medic training (from sexy sniper to sexy nurse. Sorry Feminists!) that means Becket and his love interest Lt. Stokes can be brought back. (Spoilers: in FEAR: Extraction Point, Jin winds up just as dead as Becket.)

Anyway, my question is this: has any TV show, book, movie, game, or, since this is the day that the fate of the Republic is decided, politician that you liked suddenly thrown something annoying at you? Come on, comment!

Riker Retaliates

Hey there, Silent War Fans! Riker has another plan to kill David. Does it work? Well, in the chapter I have for you fine people, it goes a lot better than all his previous attempts. What does that mean? You'll see.