Spider Man: Homecoming Review (2017)

Spider Man Homecoming is the 16th movie released by Marvel in their soon to be decade long endeavor to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).  Starting back in 2008 with the first Iron Man, Marvel has done an excellent job at keeping a cohesive vision for their universe.  The universe they have created is unlike anything ever attempted before, and even though I’m not 100% sure about that, I feel like it is true.  I’m sure there have been a ton of books, or movies that have had similar success in keeping a continuous storyline through the years, but I’m almost certain none have done it as successfully, or as, well, cinematically as Marvel and Disney have.  Did you know Marvel is owned by Disney?  Well just in case you didn’t know;  having one of the biggest companies in the world on their side has definitely allowed them to keep production values high, as well as an extremely high standard for the kinds of scripts they are creating for these films.  It may sound like I’m a huge fan of Marvel but I didn’t even know who Iron Man was until I first watched the movie in 2008.  Also I have never seen any of the Thor movies, simply because they don’t interest me.  However, movies like both of the Avengers, and the last Captain America, have changed my mind and I will definitely be going back and watching everything I have missed from the MCU so I can know everything.  This universe has me completely riveted.  Finally, getting to the topic at hand, Homecoming continues to deliver extremely high production values as well as providing the audience with yet another Spider Man origin story that is definitely welcome on all levels.

Story-wise, Spider Man is above all else, respectful of the audience’s previous exposure to the source material.  There have been five full-feature Spider Man movies in the past 20 years, starting with Spider-Man in 2002.  This attempt at keeping a cohesive story-line and cast lasted until 2007.  In 2012 we got the Marc Webb films “The Amazing Spider-Man” in 2012, and its sequel in 2014.  Now we get a new “beginning,” to Spider-Man, and thankfully we’re spared our neighborly hero’s sad origin story.  There is no getting bit by a radioactive spider.  There is no family drama that keeps this movie from being simply a rehash of what has been done many times before on the big screen.  What we do get is a deep look into the mind of a 15 year boy with superpowers and how he struggles to balance his life with school, friends, romance, and his inner calling to do something good for people.  Homecoming exceeds tremendously on this front.  Spider-Man is brought to the ground hard.  He doesn’t have years of experience swinging around buildings.  He doesn’t know what to say to bad guys when he finally catches up to them.  He is awkward, and inexperienced, and it’s awesome.  Way too often are superheroes made to be these perfect beings who can do no wrong, and know all the right answers.  The MCU completely breaks away from that and is trying to show us how these “superheroes” are nothing more than regular people trying to make the right decisions for themselves and everyone around them.  A lot of the time, these are tough decisions where there is no win-win scenario.  Someone always ends up losing more.

Spider-Man: Homecoming finds itself in an interesting time and place.  There have been few franchises that have redone the origin story of a superhero with a budget as high as this one.  It also finds itself, smack in the middle of a universe where there are so many stories taking place at the same time that it’s kind of hard to believe it all works so well.  This film respects the audience and bring a few new tricks to the Spider-Man lore and universe that people are used to.  There is intrigue, romance, and awesome superhero action that keep you at the edge of your seat.  The humor hits all the right notes, and you truly feel like Spider-Man is put through the necessary trials that will make him the superhero we all know and love.  Getting glimpses of Tony Stark, and the alien technology from “The Avengers,” and beyond, really makes you think back to those movies and what has happened to get us where we are today.  I only hope the MCU can continue to maintain such a high standard for storytelling as well as overall amazing film-making.  If they keep going down this path, the MCU will probably go down as one of the best and longest-running pieces of film/art ever created.

I give this movie a 9/10.

Thanks for reading!

Reviewed by: Edwin R.R.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Review (PS4, Uncharted Collection, 2016)

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Review (2016, PS4, Uncharted Collection)

This review is only 7 years late, yay.

Naughty Dog, creator of two of the most successful intellectual properties (IPs) for both the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 has done it again.  Crash Bandicoot (PS1) and Jak and Daxter (PS2) were some of the most recognizable characters for years.  Now with Uncharted, they created an IP that is not completely original, but the way it is executed, raises for bar for action-adventure games, and some might argue, the whole industry.  Uncharted is an action-adventure third-person shooter with a grand vision.  It combines everything you love about a great video game and turns it all into a very cinematic experience you can’t peel your eyes away from.  The graphical capabilities of the PS3 were undoubtedly pushed to their limits with this title. This game could still give current-gen titles (PS4 and Xbox One generation) a run for their money.  There is just a lot to love with this game.  Like its predecessor, the story and writing are something any story should strive for.  There are interesting, three dimensional characters who feel alive; they have wants, needs, and goals.  Uncharted 2 has the look of a high budget Hollywood movie.  The gameplay is the only place this game could be considered as “aged” compared to today’s titles.  Nonetheless, playing through Uncharted 2 is an experience no gamer should miss out on.

The story takes us through many locations in this game.  Our hero Nathan Drake, a tomb-raider-indiana-jones-esque character takes us through many different parts of the world in search of the fabled city of Shambhala.  There’s betrayal, redemption, and a lot of good dialogue and character building that happen throughout the story.  The Nathan from the beginning is not the same as the Nathan at the end of the story.  From the opening scene of Nathan waking up on a train hanging off the edge of an icy mountain, you know you’re going to be in for a hell of a ride.

It’s hard to describe scale in a video game.  We are used to playing games where the camera is so close to the character, it’s easy to miss the overall scale of what’s happening at any given moment.  There have been great games that break this limitation such as Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) and God of War 3 (PS3).  In Shadow of the Colossus you battle huge beasts.  For most, if not all of them you literally have to grab on to their fur and climb them like 10 story buildings.  In God of War 3, you went up against monsters that were much larger than the main character.  He had to swing up and around them in order to defeat them.  Uncharted 2 joins these two games in terms of scale because of the great set-pieces you encounter.  Environmental destruction plays a huge role in this game as there are many times when you have to run for your life because either the environment around you is collapsing, or the environment is trying to kill you.  Both of these things are used to great effect, and when they happen, you can’t help but smile.  They are exhilarating moments and leave a lasting impression on you.

I was going to bash this game again for the gameplay, but I decided I’m going to go easy on it.  A lot of the same problems present in the original Uncharted are still found here.  The AI is sometimes way too smart, throwing grenades at you with sniper-like accuracy.  There are tense moments when you must run around a corner during a gun-fight and you end up running face first into an enemy with a shotgun.  The platforming has improved, not drastically but definitely improved.  I didn’t see Nathan magically jump farther than he was suppose to, which was a problem in the first game.  I did die.  I died a lot, most deaths were my fault, but some deaths I can say were either bugs, or just unfair balancing issues.

If you google, “Uncharted 2 concept art,” you’ll find the reason why this game is so gorgeous.  Any type of art begins with a solid foundation, and Naughty Dog knows how to take a concept and do it just right.  Naughty Dog understands that there is no point to having a beautiful game if you don’t have a good story to go along with it.  They understand where the medium is and tried to push it further than most people are accustomed to.  Hideo Kojima has done this with all of his Metal Gear games.  Up until MGS 4 which came out in 2008, a year before UC 2 (Uncharted 2), Kojima proved to the video game industry that games should not just be about pressing a button and having your avatar merely execute your commands.  Uncharted and Metal Gear prove to anyone that plays them or watches someone play them that video games are a multi-layered art form like writing poetry, or creating films.  Most of the hype surrounding this game is well deserved.  I plan to replay it after I’m done with the series as a whole.  I want to try to not die as many times.  I think any medium of expression has done its job when it leaves the audience wanting more, and I definitely want more Uncharted in my life.

I give this game: 9/10

Reviewed by: Edwin R.R.

Thanks for reading!

Kubo and the Two Strings Review (2016)

Kubo and the Two Strings is a stop-motion film from the studio that brought us Paranorman and Coraline.  This studio has time and time again reminded us of the beauty of a traditionally animated film.  In a time where just about any studio can put out a low-budget animated movie with semi-cute characters out and make a quick buck, Studio Laika has shown us that the art is not dead.  They have taken the stop-motion animation and used visual effects to take the experience to another level.  Visuals aside, the story is a magical journey of a boy seeking to understand why his own two aunts are after him and his mother.  The pacing is very effective, leaving little time for unnecessary information.  Given how much work every single shot was; I am not surprised.  Regardless of the difficult task that lay ahead, Laika didn’t cut corners.  The music is carefully orchestrated to keep you at the edge of your seat and completely immerse you in its influences.  My only gripe with the movie is with the script and a few moments where there seemed to be a few lines of dialogue missing that would fill in the gaps as to why a character acted a certain way.  All in all, Kubo delivers a great story, paired with some of the best visuals of the year.

Kubo is a young boy who lives at the top of a mountain somewhere in Japan.  Each day he wakes up and takes care of his mother, who appears to be suffering from some kind of mental breakdown.  Kubo has a Shamisen, a three stringed instrument played in Japan.  He takes this and plays at the little village located at the foot of the mountain.  Kubo is a good kid and knows he’s suppose to be back home before dark.  Even then, given that he’s just a kid, one day he forgets to get home before dark and he is discovered by his aunts, who are trying to take his eyes from him.  Literally.  His mother saves him, and she sends him on a quest to find three different pieces of a set of armor he needs to defeat the man who killed his family.  The story demands that you suspend your disbelief almost entirely.  This is a movie where the main character has magic powers he can summon when he plays his Shamisen.  There is magical clothing, shape-shifting and an overall feeling that anything is possible in this world.

There were a few gaps in the story that really bothered me, and I can’t ignore them from a story-telling stand point.  If you watch the movie, there are a few emotionally significant moments that I don’t think the movie addresses.  In the beginning I was very confused as to why the mother was very quiet and did nothing all day.  All of a sudden she starts talking, and telling stories, but not a whole lot is explained as far as why she’s acting so weird.  Throughout the journey there were a few points where I wondered how the characters even knew where they were going.  I understand the point of the little samurai character pointing them in the right direction; but even then, how did the monkey know “we have a lot of walking to do?”  I thought to myself, what? How do you know that? Near the end Kubo is fighting one moment, and magically teleports back to his village in the in a matter of seconds.  I think the story could have been cleaned up just a tiny bit to make the story a coherent whole.  I’m not usually one to nitpick at little things like this, but as I watched it I couldn’t help but think of ways it could have easily been made a little more cohesive.

The art is phenomenal in this film.  I say art because there are so many great pieces that come together to create a beautifully animated film like this one.  The set design is awesome, full of detail and color.  The characters, masterfully sculpted, with just the right amount of wrinkles and little blemishes in their faces to make them feel stylized and not overly realistic.  There was a great sense of stretchiness to their faces that any animator will appreciate, (myself being one of those, hehehe).  Lastly, the animation.  I don’t usually call upon forces bigger than myself, but my god, the animation was amazing.  There was such a great sense of weight to each character.  The way they moved and acted was something all beginning animators will strive for (I also fall into this category).  The action sequences were all expertly choreographed.  I can not praise this movie enough in this regard.

Coming from an animation background myself, I don’t think I can remain objective when it comes to a movie like this one.  The movie is just so damn beautiful it’s easy to overlook any little flaws I could find.  Voice acting, good, story, good, great art direction, what more could you want?  When it comes to original movies that remind you of why you love movies, this one does not disappoint.

I give this movie a: 9/10

Reviewed by: Edwin R.R.

Thanks for reading!

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Review (PS4, Reviewed 2016)

The Uncharted series has been around since 2007, nearly 10 years late, I’m finally reviewing it.  There is something weird that happens nowadays when you hear that something is great, and you hear everybody say it is great.  Either you want to jump onboard, or stay the hell away.  Personally I think something is lost to me when I’m experiencing something millions of people have already experienced.  The same goes to reviewing it, why review it if it has been reviewed a million times, and is all over the news.  I decided to review it now because I was excited to see what Uncharted 4 was all about.  I hate jumping into a game halfway, so I had to start from scratch. Here we go.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is an action-adventure game created by Naughty Dog.  It released back in 2007, and has seen three sequels as of 2016.  This series has been incredibly successful and revered as an amazing game by a lot of gamers and critics.  The story revolves around a man, Drake, who is a tomb-raider type of guy.  He loves danger, and hunting for treasure.  Him and his friend Victor “Sully” Sullivan have obviously been on many escapades by the time we join them in this game.  The treasure they hunt in this game is that of the mysterious “El Dorado,” in South America.  Along the way they meet a journalist, Elena Fisher, who also has a thirst for adventure and mystery.  There are many, many aspects of these games that I want to talk about, but will leave them for a huge review of the series as a whole once I’m done with all four main games.  The best compliment I can give this game is that it is the start of something great.  The things this game nails, such as great dialogue, are consistent throughout the first three games, (I barely started on the third).  Art direction, and overall presentation of the game never fail to impress.  As each game progresses and you jump between sequels, you see how they try to push the technology and story more and more.  Sadly, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune fails in one of the most basic things a game shouldn’t fail, gameplay.  The game narrows down to platforming in very confusing levels, where camera placement becomes the game’s number one villain.  Half the time when you jump from one place to the next, Drake will make it to a ledge he obviously should not have been able to make it to.  The second aspect of this game is shooting.  You run, you jump, you shoot some dudes, you get a cutscene, rinse and repeat.  Somewhere along the way you’ll get a ridiculous puzzle that is so easy it’s almost insulting.  This actually plagues the series.  I’m on the third game, and a lot, if not all of these puzzles consist of matching shapes.  Yes, you heard me right, matching shapes, as if the gamer is a 2 year old with one of those little boxes where you match the shapes.  Pretty crazy stuff, right?  The shooting mechanics are broken.  Simple as that.  Also the cover system blows.  I can’t remember how many times I died from enemy AI that was ridiculously accurate, and times when I tried to take cover but the cover system got me killed.  Trial and error is the only way to beat this game, and I dare anyone who has never played it to try to beat this game without dying, let’s say 50 times.

Bottom line is Drake’s Fortune started the series off with a lot of great ideas, and some pretty bad gameplay.  If I would have played this game back in ’07, maybe I would think the graphics, story, and overall vibe to the game was great.  I doubt I would have liked the gameplay even back then.  What influenced my score for this game the most is the game play, because as you know, a video game is supposed to PLAY well.  There were times I literally wanted to throw my controller at the wall.  The enemy AI is way too annoying, the cover system is horrendous, and the game becomes monotonous without the story elements.  I love games with grand story lines like Metal Gear, even with broken gameplay mechanics, I kept playing this game only to see what would happen in the end.  If you played this game and know what to expect, I wouldn’t recommend replaying it.  Maybe watch the cutscenes on YouTube, and save yourself hours of frustrating gameplay. Still, if you like a good story, characters and some beautiful artistic designs in your games, you should still give it a try, but keep your expectations of gameplay in check.  Be patient, and like I am right now, you will enjoy playing through these games and watch them evolve right before your eyes.

I give this game a: 6/10.

Reviewed by: Edwin R.R.

Thanks for reading!

Stranger Things First Impressions (2016

I had been hearing a lot of good things about Stranger Things on Netflix.  It’s funny how far along we’ve come from Netflix being a new company used for renting movies through the mail to where we are today.  Netflix has become a huge distributor of Indie films and TV series, many of which can easily compete with anything the big studios can produce.  The interesting things about Netflix I find is that there is a ton of variety in what they choose to produce.  Weird and unorthodox concepts are common for Netflix, which is why Stranger Things fits right in.  The show is a suspenseful, horror-thriller that digs its claws deep into your skin and does not want to let go.  The first two episodes I’ve seen are about the disappearance of a young boy.  Everyone in the small town they live in is helping out trying to find him, including the boy’s three best friends who try to investigate on their own.  There is are strange things happening in this show, for a lack of better explanation. From the get-go you get a taste of what the show is going to be like.  The first shot is down a hallway of what appear to be a scientific lab.  The ceiling lights flicker on and off.  A scientist runs into the shot heading from the elevator, frantic, running for his life.  He hits the button as fast as he can trying to run away from something.  I can’t say anymore or it will spoil the fun.  Stranger Things has a very well defined aesthetic.  The year, 1983, is very significant as this movie does not skimp on the 80s goodness.  Every single thing in every single shot screams: “this is the 1980s,” which I found to be awesome.  The show relies on the acting, and the writing to tell the story.  There are no jump-scares in this show, no cheap attempts at creating tension.  The only tension you feel, is real tension from the situations created, and the actions of the characters.  The acting for the most part is top-notch, something you would see from a big studio like HBO.  Winona Ryder plays the mother of the boy that goes missing, and man did she bring it.  Her performance here is flawless.  She truly took this character and made something out of it.  You feel for her as a mother and as a person stuck in a scary ass situation.  This brings me to my last point, the show is very well written.  The pacing and the character development is straight and to the point.  Each character has clear weaknesses and clear objectives, things driving each character towards their goal.  Watching the first two episodes unfold has left me wanting much, much more.  If you’re a fan of horror and suspense you might want to give this show a chance.  Let it dig its claw into you and see if you are able to pull away.

Thanks for reading.

Written by:  Edwin R.R.

Rise of the Tomb Raider Review (Xbox One, 2015)

Rise of the Tomb Raider is the sequel to 2013’s awesome Tomb Raider reboot.  The Tomb Raider franchise has been around for more two decades, and its games have spanned many genres.  The original game released back in 1996, was originally more focused on the gameplay and put the story in the backseat. Despite the wide variety of games that have been created for this franchise, the one thing that ties them together is the protagonist, a young woman named Lara Croft.  Lara in most, if not in all of her games, is portrayed as a lone adventurer in search of ancient civilizations and any secrets that may be hidden within them.  The development studio decided it was time to take a step back and explore Lara’s character in more detail.  The “reboot” for the franchise, which basically goes by Tomb Raider, without any number or subtitle, which came out in 2013, focused on a more cinematic approach to the narrative.  There was a huge focus on Lara’s growth throughout the game.  Starting from scratch, she had never killed a person, or had to survive on her own before the game took place.  The game was very well received the year it came out, thanks to its use of intricate set pieces, beautiful landscapes, and smooth and refined gameplay.  Rise of the Tomb Raider continues to flesh out Lara’s character, and it also continues to deliver explosive action, stunning art direction, and a narrative intriguing enough to keep you playing until the end.

The Tomb Raider franchise is trying very hard to create a story that people can be invested in.  This time around, you get to learn more about Lara’s father, and his quest for a thing called “The Divine Source.” Events transpire and Mr. Croft loses his life, and Lara sets out on a quest to figure out if her father was crazy or not.  The story is all fine and dandy, the points make sense, there’s a few twists the writers tried to throw in there which work to some degree.  The only problem that I found with the story is that it wasn’t that exciting.  The villain’s motivation is a little unclear, or maybe just not strong enough.  They sort of just throw it out there, and when it is revealed that he’s doing what he’s doing because of that motivation, you’re left wondering; really? The relationship with Lara and her father is developed cleverly through the use of her retelling stories of what she remembers about her father.  There’s a returning character from the first game here, which is totally unnecessary.  He is pretty much thrown into the game just so Lara wont appear to be a lone murdering maniac who’s trying to prove her daddy right.  About the only thing that got me invested in the game in terms of narrative was Lara’s own character.  Having played through the first game, the Lara that starts the game, is not the same Lara when the game is over.  The same is true with Ride of the Tomb Raider.  Lara’s character grows, she adapts to the situations she is put into.  She makes mature decisions about her and what happens to characters around her.  She knows the world is not a pretty place, and she’s willing to get her hands dirty to get things done.  The gameplay truly stands out, and excels at showing Lara’s growing abilities throughout the game.

This game sticks to what worked in the original reboot and kept a very similar gameplay style.  You still have a similar layout and arsenal compared to the previous title.  However, your ability to craft different attachments and upgrades to your weapons is what really makes a difference here.  There’s a few varieties to the arrows you can craft, all of them awesome.  One of the things that really stands out is how much of a punch all the weapons have.  When you shoot your bow and arrow you feel as if you’re really pulling back on that string with all your strength.  When you sneak up on someone and stab them in the neck, you almost feel sorry for the poor sap who got in Lara’s way.

The environments in this game are as much a character as the other human enemies you face.  Lara has a few new tricks up her sleeve when it comes to traversing the varied environments here.  Some of them don’t make that much sense, and the physics seem to work a little too much in Lara’s favor, but I’m not complaining.  This is the tale of a single 20 something year old taking on an army of bad guys with nothing but a bow and a few bandages.  I’ll forgive the game telling me Lara is able to swing across a 50-foot crevice by throwing an axe tied to a rope.  Each area of the game is divided up into larger sections.  You usually arrive and have a specific goal to get to in order to advance the story, but that’s optional.  You may want to hunt, or scavenge supplies.  You could clear out caves, search for relics, or take on one of the many, many optional tomb challenges.  Some of these challenges are amazing, and really should not be missed.  Usually you have to traverse an exciting area before reaching the tomb, and at the tomb you have to solve one puzzle to get the reward.  The rewards actually make a difference in your gameplay and can make life easier for you down the road, should you decide to take them on; however, like I said, they are 100% optional.

Gameplay and narrative aside, this is one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever laid my eyes on.  The graphics are not the greatest but the attention to detail is what really makes this game stand out against all other triple A titles of recent years.  The landscape is lush and full of detail.  Beautiful textures await every inch of every landscape in this world.  There are tombs, there are jungles, there’s even a desert area.  Each environment felt completely distinct and alive in it’s own way.  The lighting brought everything to life; the mood this game set was very clear and they succeeded in blurring the difference between a game you are meant to play, and a game you are meant to just walk around in to admire the view.  Lastly, what would a game this big do without giving the player the proper perspective from which to view this world?  Lara Croft is meticulously crafted and detailed, down to the pores on her skin.  Her clothes get wet when she jumps in the water, her outfit gets more riddled with snow depending on how hard the snow is falling.  She shivers and looks around as if she were a real person.  Lara’s motion capture artist, Camilla Luddington, did an amazing job at giving Lara a relatable personality.  The animation is simply amazing.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is not a perfect game, but it is a great example of a game that can leave you breathless.  From its beautiful scenery, to it’s animation, and the excitement that bursts unto the screen, time and time again.  This game is an experience, and the journey is definitely more exciting than the destination, but I cannot wait until I go back and find all the hidden treasures, and conquer all the tombs.  Crystal Dynamics, the studio behind this rebooted franchise has done it again.  This is a perfect example of a sequel that builds on concepts, and takes them to the next level.

I give this game a: 9/10.

Reviewed by:  Edwin R.R.

Thanks for reading!

Bugs Bunny at the Symphone II, Review (2015, San Francisco Symphony)

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II,

Performed by the San Francisco Orchestra

Review (2015)

            Remember the good old days when you could go to a theater and watch a silent film where the music was played live by a pianist or orchestra?  No?  Neither do I!  Sadly that’s a part of history that is rarely experienced nowadays thanks to all of our technological advances.  However, there is still one place where you can still enjoy a similar experience, the show Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II.  The show has now been running for 25 years and consists of Looney Tunes cartoons played on a large screen while the orchestra plays the background music and special effects.  In case you don’t know, the Tunes, in Looney Tunes is quite literal in meaning.  Many of the most famous cartoons created by Chuck Jones and other great directors of the time, used classical music to great effect.  Not only did their cartoons take place at concert halls and opera houses, but their music choices consisted of some of the most iconic pieces of music ever created.  Bugs Bunny at the Symphony was a different experience from what you have come to expect from the San Francisco Orchestra.  There is equal part celebration for the music, as well as the images on screen.  It was a nostalgic trip for myself since I grew up on Bugs Bunny cartoons and thoroughly enjoyed every single short put before my eyes.  Some of my favorites as a kid, including the “Long Haired Hare,” “What’s Opera Doc?” as well as the all time favorite “Rabbit of Seville”  made their appearance at the show.  It was nice to experience these cartoons played by a live orchestra, which as usual, was flawless.  The experience of watching these cartoons with a few dozen people, laughing and enjoying the cartoons as much as I do was a great treat as well.

The only part I feel didn’t worked as well for the show was the parts where the orchestra wasn’t playing at all.  Certain Daffy cartoons, or Pepe le Pew shorts were unaccompanied by the orchestra which did not fit the feel of the show.  Another aspect I did not understand was why they chose to not showcase some of the original songs to further heighten the experience.  One of my favorite shorts is “Rhapsody Rabbit” where Bugs plays the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Franz Liszt.  That is an amazing, and beautiful work of art.  It was fun to watch the cartoon and have the audience enjoy the orchestra along with it, however, if after the cartoon was over they would have played the actual song…well let’s just say this humble reviewer would have been blown away.

There is a lot of wasted potential with this show, and I understand it must take a lot of time and money to have the whole orchestra learn to play very difficult and old pieces of music.  What we have to remember is that these pieces of music were not created by the artist just “getting by,” or thinking, “how can I please the most viewers while practicing the least amount of time, and using the least amount of money?” No, artists such as Franz Liszt pushed the envelope, went out of the comfort zone of their art and created amazing works that have survived for more than 100 years.  The show was good, but not great, we paid $30 for top row seats, overall it seemed appropriate for the kind of show that it was.  Will someone more than 100 years from now remember “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II?” Probably not, but it was nice to share the experience of watching old Looney Tunes cartoons with a live audience and live orchestra.

I give the show a: 7/10.

Reviewed by:  Edwin R.R.

Thanks for reading!!

 

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Review (PS4, 2015)

                  The phantom pain is real.  Erase any memory of what you think Metal Gear was 10 years ago.  Metal Gear V is a game that achieves what all of its predecessors could only dream of, yet fails in one of the most important part of any work of art.  Despite this, Hideo Kojima was finally able to give the players a full blown stealth game, unhindered by current technology.  What that means is that this game is the peak of any stealth-action game when it comes to gameplay.  After being in development for 5 years, it shows how much thought went into the overall refinement of the game.  The only downfall to this game is its story.  Metal Gear games have always been known for their grand story lines.  They have always had complicated worlds and rich character backstories that make the characters come alive.  MGS V is at its weakest when analyzed in that respect or when compared to its predecessors.  Luckily the gameplay balances all of the game’s faults that come from its story being unsatisfying and uneventful.

                  Snake is a Boss, in fact he’s The Big Boss, and you truly feel that as the player.  Controlling Big Boss is exciting and fun.  There are no slowdowns of any kind, Big Boss is only as good as the player.  MGS V is extremely versatile in the ways it lets you approach all situations.  If you have to infiltrate a base you could do it in stealth or go guns blazing.  That sounds like only 2 approaches, but how the AI reacts to your actions is honestly kind of scary.  There were many situations when I thought the AI wouldn’t be able to see me because I was “too far.”  A little trick I’ve learned by playing other games where AI is very limited and could only react in one of two ways.  It either sees you or it doesn’t.  In MGS V the AI will spot you and react accordingly.  If it knows its you it will call for help.  If it is a little unsure it will carefully go scout the area.  If you have already set off an alarm once, the soldiers will go with a buddy.  They will pair up so it’s harder to sneak up on them.  While on the subject of gameplay there is another huge addition to it which adds another layer to an already delicious pile of gameplay elements:  the buddy system.  Throughout the game BB (Big Boss) will collect different characters to help him when deployed on missions.  There are a total of four very different buddies but my favorite was the wolf companion.  He has the ability to distract enemies in many different ways.  He can bark, stun enemies, wound or kill them based on the gear you have developed for him.  I cannot think of a single thing that would have made the game play better.

                  Sadly the story is nowhere near as good as the gameplay.  I’m not saying it’s a piece of trash that shouldn’t even be named Metal Gear, but the story is just not nearly as good as it could have been.  You do get your story with a few twists and turns here and there but the fact that it is broken up into different sections was completely unsatisfactory.  There is no flow to the story, and it doesn’t help that each time you get deployed on a mission the credits roll right before you go into your mission.  It makes no sense.  I must have read the phrase “written and directed by Hideo Kojima” around 100 times.  The ending is something no normal person was expecting and it does sort of change the way you see things as a whole.  Kojima really did outdo himself with the ending.  To me, a casual gamer who took the other  games at face value, the ending came as a total shock.  I knew and understood the timely and events that transpired in all of the games, and this does sort of fill in a lot of the gaps left between Metal Gear Peace Walker and the original Metal Gear which came out in 1987 for the MSX 2 computer in Japan.  That’s almost 30 years worth of story.  That’s a lot of dots to connect and a whole lot of fans to satisfy.

                  Metal Gear V: The Phantom Pain is not perfect in any way shape or form, but it does achieve some great things that will not soon be forgotten.  The gameplay will be remembered as the best of its kind.  The story will be remembered as the most fragmented, unsatisfactory story in the whole series, that still managed to pull off an ending no one saw coming.  Kojima was finally able to realize a true stealth game unhindered by technological limitations.  He goes out with a bang in both gameplay and storytelling.  I was very conflicted in writing this review because in the many, many hours I spent playing it, (about 80, and I only achieved 50% game completion) I felt like something was missing.  A piece of the Metal Gear aesthetic was gone and I really don’t quite know where it went.  I know it’s gone and probably will never be repaired due to this being the last Metal Gear Kojima-san will be involved in.  It’s hard to tell if what is missing from MGS V is missing on purpose, and Hideo Kojima truly manipulated the player to have their own type of “Phantom Pain.”

I give this game a: 9/10

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Reviewed by: Edwin R.R.

The Night Before Review (2015)

The Night Before (2015)

            The Night Before is a comedy starring Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthonie Mackie.  They play three friends who are trying very hard keep their own Christmas tradition alive.  In 2008 Levitt’s character, loses his parents in a car accident, his friends try to cheer him up by taking him out.  While out partying they learn of one of New York’s most exclusive Christmas parties, called the Nutcracker Ball.  They make it a tradition to try to find a way to get into the party.  The journey takes the three characters on a rollercoaster of events that you have come to expect from a movie like this.  Rogen is high on many different kinds of drugs the whole movie, and it is hilarious.  Most of the jokes in this movie hit their mark, and with Rogen’s characters freaking while taking shrooms and cocaine at the same time, there is a consistent hallucinogenic theme.  There are also a few cameo’s that are used to great effect.  “The Night Before” is a great example of a comedy that knows its limits.  It used its characters to great effect, and it gets more emotional than your usual drug-powered comedy.  You get to like all three characters for their strengths and weaknesses because they’re very relatable.  I would recommend this movie to anyone without a second thought.  If you have liked movies like “This is the End,” and “Pineapple Express,” then you will definitely like “The Night Before.”

I give this movie an: 8/10

Reviewed by:  Edwin R.R.

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The Good Dinosaur Review (2015)

Disclaimer:  I hated this movie but I tried to remain objective.  Also Spoilers, because, well, I hate this movie and I don’t care.

This is a review for the 16^th animated film produced by renowned animation studio, Pixar.  The Good Dinosaur is directed by Peter Sohn who up until now, at least as far as the internet tells, has only directed one thing in his entire career:  a short film for Pixar based on their film “Up.”  All other credits to his name are artistic credits, such as animator, story artist, and a few voice acting credits.  Whoever made the decision to give Mr. Sohn a chance at directing this movie must have hoped it would make its sale goals merely riding on Pixar’s name and credibility.  The Good Dinosaur is a poorly executed film in most regards, story, art direction, character development and thematic content.  This movie fails in the most basic rule of any animated works of art:  suspension of disbelief.  The events in the movie have no flow to them, we jump from an action sequence to a silly montage that’s suppose to make the audience laugh, to an emotional scene that is meant to have the audience in tears.  At least that’s my own opinion based on the audio and visual cues I witnessed; however, believe me when I say I was more confused than teary eyed.  The tone shifts and downright unlikeable main character make this one of the most forgettable experiences for adults this year.  Will this movie make you laugh? Yes, you will have many WTF moments which is a rare occurrence in any of Pixar’s films.  Anyone who can actually see why Pixar is Pixar will immediately notice the low quality and lack of attention to detail in this film.  I can only hope this is the exception rather than the rule when it comes to Pixar’s films in the near future.   The Good Dinosaur should have been a direct to DVD release so it could land in the $5 bin at Wal-Mart, lost and forgotten for the next 65 million years.

The story of TGD takes on the concept of what would have happened if the meteor that in our reality killed the dinosaurs, missed entirely.  We are now in the present time in a farm, run by dinosaurs.  Yes, you heard me right, obviously the dinosaurs talk for the sake of the story, but they also farm.  For some odd reason, instead of existing the way they did for the past 65 million years ago, they decide to settle down and start a farm?  It makes no sense.  Anyway.  The plot revolves around the new member of the family, Arlo, one of three baby dinos who are born at the beginning of the film.  Together with his family he must tend to the land and grow crops…for winter.  Arlo being the smallest of his siblings, struggles to find his place in the family.  He is not good at any of his chores and his impact on their survival is, well, nonexistent.  Arlo’s father, Henry believes in him, and assigns him to kill the “critter” who has been stealing the family’s food supply from a silo Henry built out of rocks.  Long story short, tragedy strikes, Henry dies while trying to find the “critter,” Arlo is left stranded and must bond with the critter to survive.  Arlo names the “critter,” who is a human child, “Spot,” and what follows is the most random series of events in any movie of recent memory.  Take into account “The Night Before,” a “Seth Rogen movie,” just came out which is very random and funny, and yet TGD takes the cake.  There is a scene with a cross-eyed triceratops, a drug induced hallucination montage when the characters eat rotten fruit from a tree, and some seriously psychotic pterodactyls.  At the end of the day we get a “Lion King”-esque vibe from an apparition by Arlo’s father, and a sort of story about forgiveness.  Arlo is eventually helped by a T-Rex trio who for some reason run like they’re on horses? Arlo helps them get their cattle back and they help him get home.  The end, thank god.

The art direction was all over the place in this film.  Yes it was beautiful, but this is like Pixar’s shiniest and most polished turd.  The characters don’t blend well with the photo-realistic backgrounds at all.  It’s actually kind of jarring, distracting the viewer and making any sort of impactful scenes less dramatic than they should be.  There are also certain things that did not translate well from script to the visuals, here’s an example:  When the pterodactyls are introduced they appear to be nice and helpful.  When they finally save a little creature who looks all cute and cuddly, and eerily realistic, one of the pterodactyls eats it.  Just like that, you see everything, no cutaway, no nothing.  The tail of the poor little creature is sticking out of the mouth of the pterodactyl.  At that point the other pterodactyls attack him, pulling on the tail trying to get a piece of the now very dead animal we were just looking at a second ago.  It’s like if there was a movie made about Bugs Bunny or Yosemite Sam, where they actually shoot each other with realistic looking guns and kill each other.  The concept of cartoon violence and death does not translate well into a realistic-looking animated film.

There are many things wrong with TGD, the most disappointing one of all being the story.  “Story is king,” is what Pixar has said in the past.  This concept has made all their movies a commercial success.  Not only that but seven of their films have won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film (Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, Toy Story 3, and Brave).Two films were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, Toy Story 3, and Up.  With this kind of track record, a film like The Good Dinosaur appears to be the beginning of what I can only assume to be the beginning of a downwards slope for Pixar.  Inside Out, a film released by Pixar just a few months prior to TGD was so emotionally charged and charming it left me with high hopes that the studio was at the top of its game. To the layman, a movie goer with no knowledge of the details that make a movie good, will think TGD is a good movie because it looks good and it’s funny.  Someone with a little perspective will see through the beauty The Good Dinosaur and truly take a look at what’s inside.  One can only hope this is the exception and does not become the standard for future Pixar films.

I give this a: 4/10

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Reviewed by:  Edwin R.R.