Happy frickin' Holidays

So this is a small rant on the state of holidays in the US of A. If I here one more person complain about Christmas being a 'religious holiday' I'm going to flip. I just have to say I'm tired of people getting all fussy about a pagan turned christian holiday that in today's world has nothing to do with any religion except consumerism! Name me one person you know who goes to church on Christmas? Now name me people that exchange presents on that day. You see? You don't have to celebrate anything remotely Christian to enjoy the season.

People are such humbugs I think. I mean, what other country gets pissed at their holidays like we do? It's a day off people, take it! If I started getting Diwali or Rosh Hashanah off I wouldn't complain because even if I don't celebrate it, I get to sleep in and lounge on my couch playing Dragon Quest all day. Why would you want to complain about that? And for those people who think complaining about getting one holiday off but not others will work, let me just say that the more religious holidays you want off, the less you're going to get. Companies are instead going to make you work ALL religious holidays instead of giving you more time off. Same principle, different application. I'm sorry but there are too many holidays to give us them all off so people just picked the majority vote (sorry but the majority of US citizens still say their Christian). Please stop complaining about time off and enjoy it. Have we really gotten so stupid as a country that we WANT to work more?

Classics of the Horror world

I have this love/hate relationship with the horror genre. In one instant, I'm enthralled with the imagination and creativity of it, in the other I'm scared witless (I'm not afraid to admit it) and disgusted by it. This can be seen in my weekly viewings of the Scifi channel's Ghost Hunters series (which I watch religiously) and the following bedtime fiascoes. I am what some might call a 'baby' when it comes to such things and yet I still dance around it like a moth drawn to a flame. Oddly enough, movies bother me much more than their literary counterparts so I spend a good deal of time reading stories by Richard Matheson and H.P. Lovecraft.

I've also begun a slow plodding process of reading through all of the horror classics. So far I have read Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. This has made me a little cynical about what we've made these mythos into. What I grew up knowing as these characters is not at all what I read in the stories. Here's a few little things I noticed that we've evolved these myths into that weren't original to the text.

Dracula: Ah Dracula, the most famous of all Vampires who has now become a trendy goth kids best friend and stemmed atrocities such as Underworld and Twilight. The story of Dracula and the vampires goes back much farther than Bram Stoker, he was simply the genius who compiled legends and lures he had learned and turned it into a fairly entertaining story (I must admit it was very wordy and at times tedious). Getting back to the book, Dracula could actually walk around during the day...in the sun...without special vampire sunscreen (can't find a link but this is a reference to the movie Blade). He just couldn't use his powers until night. Another thing is that people didn't become vampires until they died. Therefore you were just a sick human after you were bit. It wasn't until you croaked that you came back...hence why vampires live in coffins.

Frankenstein: I'd first like to point out that Frankenstein is the name of the man who creates the monster, the monster is actually just called "Frankenstein's Monster." Frankenstein is frightened by his creation not excited when it begins breathing. There is no "IT'S ALIVE!" scene when it begins growling and there is no electricity...at all. In fact the creation sequence is very anti-climatic, he just starts breathing; then Frankenstein pees himself and runs away (well, kind of like that). Frankenstein is not a doctor either, he is a student at a university and makes this creation in his dorm room, not a castle laboratory. And lastly, Frankenstein is from Geneva...which makes him Swiss.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: This was a short story so there wasn't much to change however I notice that many of today's interpretations have Mr. Hyde being this huge monster of a man. In the story, Mr. Hyde was an evil looking midget or small man that only killed maybe two people (by today's standards that's nothing). And in the end, he kills himself so he does not escape to France like many renditions have (at least the ones I grew up with).

I'm still working my way through some others. I have The Invisible Man awaiting my eager mind and I'm looking for a good Werewolf classic. There doesn't seem to be one from my research but I shall continue to try. If you know of one, please let me know.

Final Fantasy vs Dragon Quest

So I'm a big fan of Dragon Quest but I also do love a good Final Fantasy game. Since I'm in the midst of both Dragon Quest 4 and Final Fantasy IX, I thought I'd do a little comparing.

First off, I want to point out Dragon Quest was the first of the two to come out. Though not completely original (if you've been following my blog you'll know a small history of the CRPG [Console Role Playing Game]) Dragon Quest was one of the most popular CRPGs to come out in Japan. Final Fantasy's success was actually with the American crowd the same year Dragon Quest II hit the markets (that would be 1987). So that being said, neither is original, and Final Fantasy was not the first of the two.

Gameplay:
Okay, so this is something that's hard to discern. I mean, both of them are pretty repetitive. Walk around towns, fight monsters, traverse labyrinths, fight monsters, and follow a main plot. Not much else to it. However, at least with Dragon Quest I noticed every battle is a little bit new, even if it's just matching up monsters differently. Final Fantasy has a habit of putting the same one or two monsters together over and over so you're having de ja vu tons of times per overworld crossing. I have to vouch for Final Fantasy though in the fact that the story line and backgrounds make it a little easier to deal with the repetition, I recently beat Dragon Quest 8 and I can't begin to tell you how annoying it was to see the formula pan out so precisely, no storyline to help conceal the fact that your DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I tell you, side quests are killer when you know you're on one.

Graphics:
So most people like Final Fantasy graphics better than Dragon Quest. I think this is mostly because Dragon Quest is on a whole cuter than Final Fantasy.That is quite true when you look at the graphics of most console games in today's market and Final Fantasy is definitely running with that trend. Not that that's a bad thing, the environments are stunning, the magic spells breath-taking, and the battles epic...at least for the first few times you have to go through them. What I think Dragon Quest lacks in quality it gains in quantity. Battles are so much faster in Dragon Quest games. There are no fancy camera pans or especially beautiful spells but that doesn't really matter when you have to fight monsters for long periods of time. You just want to be done and over with it and Dragon Quest delivers that. That bodes well also for towns and dungeons. You can see where you're going, there are no points when you have to ask yourself, is that a place to go or just visual fluff? So although Final Fantasy graphics are incredible, Dragon Quest still has something to offer.

Characters:
Dragon Quest characters are usually straightforward, unlike their Final Fantasy counterparts. This can be both a good and bad thing. The characters of Dragon Quest don't delve deep into emotions or psychological issues like Final Fantasy does which means the storylines are more about beating an evil than fighting the demons within. If you've been reading my blog you realize I am one who prefers more streamline stories. This makes Dragon Quest more appealing to me. I mean, how many who have played Final Fantasy VII really actually understood the entire story? Be honest now, how much did you guess or make up. Then take a look at the obnoxious main character of Final Fantasy VIII. Most people didn't vibe with that one. On the other hand, the stories in Final Fantasy games do help make the repetition of side quests easier to stomach, unlike Dragon Quest who just places them in front of you exactly as they are. The last thing I have to say about characters is design. In Dragon Quest, most characters are distinguishable as male or female or whatever they're supposed to be. However, Final Fantasy (especially the newer ones) blur the lines between the two. Even the masculine males look very effeminate and hard to distinguish from their female counterparts. I find this a little annoying since I really hate it when you can't distinguish to what you should or should not be tuned into.As a CRPG fan I think I find Dragon Quest more appealing just for the sheer simplicity. Final Fantasy is a very complex series and I find it hard to digest at times. This in no way makes it bad. I am really enjoying Final Fantasy IX though I have to take small breaks in between just to recoup and get ready to delve into it again. Dragon Quest 4, however, is something I can pick up, play for a few hours, then put down again without the need for any type of emotions (frustration, excitement, etc) involved. It's a nice light snack compared to Final Fantasy's sumptuous meal.

Legend

Holy crap did I forget this movie ever existed! I was watching tv at a party this weekend, trying to substitute water for beer (bad substitute but a better wake up the next morning) and this came on. I was shocked I had not thought of this to write about!

What I remember of this movie as a youngin' was it being a little risque in the facts that there was woman's cleavage, death, and torture. I wasn't really affected by this back then but looking at it now, I don't think I'd allow my kids to watch it until their at least in the double digits age wise (like 10-12).

I still kind of liked this movie in a way. However, I couldn't get over the unnecessary fantasy elements, like glitter on everything and those damnable bubbles! I also noticed there was a lot of sweating going on during the movie. It seems that everyone was really hot, even in the snow.

Also, did anyone else notice Tom Cruise had a unibrow? He looks really dorky for a heartthrob. I also couldn't believe Tim Curry was the devil dude. I wonder how he kept his head up, I mean his is a pretty thin guy (out of costume).

The dialogue isn't very good either. Very goth and on the childish side. The movie does have a very simple plot that it doesn't veer to far away from which is nice. However, the situations the characters are put in were very adult at times. Like watching someone get hacked to bits to be eaten in the background of the kitchen. You could inference what was going to happen to the heroes if they didn't escape.

I'm really on the fence about this movie. It was a really dark kids movie that was a bit repetitive at times but entertaining none the less. It also cues up really well with Mare the metal band.

The presidential humorist

So I the last movie I wanted to write about was the Dark Crystal however, I haven't watched that one in 7 years so I'm waiting until my Sihaya gets it in from netflix. I do have another subject to talk about and it involves this popular fellow:
Okay, so he's all the buzz right now, talking about change, history, and all that jazz but I'm here to talk about something a little different. I was having a discussion with some coworkers about George W. Bush and they brought up the point that political cartoonists are going to miss him (they did make a hefty living off of his...follies) and I got to thinking, that probably won't happen to Obama like it did to Bush, Clinton, and a load of other presidents.

My reasoning behind this is his heritage. I mean, the majority of political cartoonists are of a different ethnicity and making fun of another heritage is a big taboo in today's society (which I don't believe it wrong). This concludes that cartoonists and the like will probably voice jokes less and walk on eggshells when doing so. I'm not saying there won't be humor involved, just that it won't focus on his lesser attributes, especially once we learn them (because no one is perfect...remember that).

Now this is a theory I have made up based on the way I see people living around me. I know many people that are excited about Obama taking office just for the fact that he is of the background that he is...and nothing else. I find this a flawed system. Obama shouldn't be great because of his genes, he should be great because he is a solid leader with good credentials and I strong grasp of what America needs.

Good luck Obama. I say this because you have a lot of scrutiny to put up with both positive and negative. Be the PERSON we need for the future.

The Princess Bride

To be quite honest, I don't think I've ever stopped watching this movie. It's such a classic and for once, I'm not the only one to think that. Watching it as a child I remember the love story not being too overwhelming, the feel good emotions it gave me, and the silly humor it added to spice everything up. That and I remember Cary Elwes, which I feel is the closest thing our generation has to Errol Flynn.

This movie has been great all throughout my life. My sihaya and his most pretentious movie friends enjoy it and that's saying something. The movie has a very straightforward plot with a charming cast of characters and many catchy one liners. Who doesn't remember the word "Inconceivable?"

There is enough adult humor to make it enjoyable to parents but not enough to expose children to things they shouldn't hear or comprehend. This makes it a great movie for all ages and gives it a little more intellect to it than things like Care Bears or Willow. I feel it is a happy medium between those movies and others like The Last Unicorn (though the stabbing of Inigo Montoya can be a little gruesome for the very young).

One thing I'm noticing while writing these movie reviews is that the best movies so far have had very simple, straightforward plotlines. They don't try to add too many twists and turns, just a string of related incidents that keep with the main idea. This, I think, gives the writers more time to develop the characters, setting, and so forth without much others distractions.

Movies like this are timeless and aren't just enjoyable for the nostalgia like some of the ones I liked on my list. This is a great movie to sit back and enjoy time with friends, family, even your beloved. By the way, did I mention this is a great date movie guys?

Care Bears Movie

Ahhh, the Care Bears. Such a strong part of the 80's kid culture they had to make their own movie. As a child, I didn't have any special bond with these lovable little bears. Come to think of it, the only think I remember from the movie is the jungle bears...or whatever they're called...it apparently wasn't that important to me.

So I tried to watch this one a few months ago after drinking a bit and fell asleep. I don't even remember what part I was at but the dialogue was so canned, the songs were incredibly awful and the booze were so warm and fuzzy I just dozed off. Not like it mattered much, the plot was predictable and I could see exactly where it was going.

The movie was kind of what I remember (or don't remember) it to be: Forgettable.

The Last Unicorn

I loved everything mystical when I was a kid. Unicorns, dragons, dwarves, wizards, mermaids, I just ate it up. For this reason I loved this movie. I remember it visually more than anything else. The animation was different than the Disney cartoons, it was stylized and the storyline wasn't as happy go lucky. Did I mention it had a unicorn!

Watching this movie again made me realize how morbid this movie actually was! I couldn't believe the ideals behind it. A woman becomes jaded and tarnished waiting over the years for happiness to come, an old witch plays with her fate by enslaving mystical creatures for her show (and the harpy has lots of boobies...I didn't remember that!), an old man loses his ability to see beauty in the mundane world, it's all so depressing!

Despite this fact, I still really enjoyed this movie again. I'm very much in love with the cartoon animation style of Rankin/Bass (who also did the Hobbit and Thundercats, HO!). I love how everything is not smoothed over and nice looking. There are hard lines in the faces of some of the characters and I don't feel it's as romanticized as Disney films tend to be.

The story itself was very mature, which I liked. It's definitely a great family movie I think since there is a double layer to it. Kids like the visuals and the silly little jokes where as adults can enjoy the deeper meanings behind the actions of the characters. As a kid, I couldn't comprehend many of the situations posed in the movie but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. It also was subtle enough that I wasn't introduce to any overly adult themes (besides the boobies...maybe).

All in all I think I will be enjoying this movie for years to come. It's a great Mystery Science Theater movie as well. The only think I would change is the musical score...that romantic love song in the middle...was that really necessary?

Labyrinth

You remind me of the babe.
What babe?
The babe of the power.
What power?
The power of Voodoo.
Who do?
You do.
Do what?
You remind me of the babe.

Believe it or not, I typed that all from memory. That is one of the biggest things I got from this movie as a child. That and those monsters that popped their heads off and danced around.

As a child I found this movie enchanting. Movies like this kept me entertained and opened up a unique fantasy world to my child's eye. I think this movie is one of the reasons I have such a deep love for puppets and a deep appreciation for movies that incorporate them such as Hellboy II (though I admit the story for that wasn't the greatest).

Watching it again as an young adult has made me realize that it was completely made for children. The plot was silly, the puppets imaginative, and the dangers a little weird (the Bog of Eternal Stench? Really?). I still loved in none the less and can't say much wrong about it. It's a stark contrast from that of the unimaginative Willow, which were actually both produced by George Lucas. Though I do realize they had Jim Henson on their side for this one, which kind of makes it hard to compare, it is a much more imaginative (I keep using this word, I realize that) thought out world with a storyline focused on children and families. Where as Willow was trying to water down the generic fantasy world for younger audiences, Labyrinth created a new fantasy world made for them and it made all the difference.

Another thing this had going for it was a plot with less holes in it. This was mainly achieved by an age old method called K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid). It was kept much simpler with a very straightforward plot which made it less plausible for holes.

On a whole, I think my assumptions of it as a child were quite on. However, being older I did feel it kind of had a psychedelic aspect to it, especially with David Bowie in there. I guess he was getting younger generations ready to adore him long after his glam rock years had ended. I have to say, it worked on me.

Willow

As I said before, I just watched this movie the other night and wow...WOW...it was horrible! I can't believe I liked this movie when I was little let alone wanted to EVER watch it again. I remember the movie being a little on the dark side, fantastic in nature (spells, elves, swords, etc), and epic. I almost want to say my memory makes me think of it as a precursor to the Lord of the Rings: Trilogy, it was not at all. It was a generically made fantasy movie in a world that didn't quite make sense. Which leads me to my first point:

Holes in the plot were everywhere. First, that kid is a princess? Her mother didn't look like a queen in the beginning of the movie. And if that dirty looking woman was a queen, wouldn't the country have, you know, gone to war over her being kidnapped and all? Maybe the king just got sauced one night and banged an ale-wench or something...that's the only thing I can come up with. Also, why the hell does the evil queen have to go through that half day ritual to kill the kid? Why didn't she just stab her and be done with it? And why did the queen get so old when she was doing the ritual? There's nothing in the story that explains that either. Okay, I'm going to stop here and move onto another point because I could go on all day with this one.

The musical score was literally irritating to listen too. The music seemed pieced together from other movies like Superman and Star Wars, but didn't quite make it to that quality. It was imitation and those blaring trumpets and wailing violins didn't rev up my emotions, it just made me uncomfortable and want the scene to end. I think the worst offender of this was the cart battle scene...pure agony right there.

Speaking of the cart battle scene, why oh why were those Brownies added? I know they're supposed to be the comic relief but they wound up being more agitating then the sound track. I'll just sum up most of the events with them into one word: Unnecessary.

You also have the obviously made up names of a lot of the characters that come right out of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Queen Bavmorda, Vohnkar, Burglekutt...it's like someone took a bunch of scrabble pieces and shuffled them around until you could pronounce something.

The there's the emotional instability of the characters (the two worst offenders are Willow and Madmartigan...wait, those are the main characters...). I swear they're manic depressive! A good example is when Madmartigan swears his loyalty to Lorna and decides he's going to follow her on the quest then freaks out at Willow for no apparent reason (not like he protested going there in the first place) that they followed the lead to destroyed castle. WTF?

Last but not least is the character Sorsha. She had such potential to be badass and then she goes and betrays her own mother because a guy (with bad teeth) spouts poor quality poetry to her before eventually kidnapping her to save his skin. Doesn't her kingdom have any good looking guys for her to pass her time with? I mean, she's an attractive girl AND the princess, who wouldn't want her on their side? For the last half of the movie she just sits around shouting "mother" not really doing anything productive...nothing at all...you were slicing people up and kicking asses...what happened?

So, looking back from when I was a child, this movie definitely does not par to what I remember it to be. It was not dark at all, more like awkwardly humorous with a pinch of dreariness hanging over it. It's not even a good Mystery Science Theater movie. I'm sorry Willow but you've just been added to the "Wasted time of my life" movie pile.

Growing up is hard to do: a movie review

Since most of what I write about stems from things I encounter in life, this will be no different. I watched the movie Willow last night, which I had seen when I was a wee babe long ago and man was it a hell of a lot worse than I remember! This has spurred me to sit down and watch some of the most beloved movies of my childhood to actually see if they were what I had felt them to be at the time.

What I do when I'm not paying attention...

So I had to go to a training session today for work and while I was there I realized I was actually doing more assessment of the teacher than actually listening to what was being said. I guess studying educational philosophy makes it hard not to scrutinize those who have to teach you. Here's some things I noticed about them and their presentations in general.

1) I have noticed many of them try to engage the audience in some way. Now this is a double edge sword. On the one hand it keeps your students alert and interested in the topic at hand, even if it is a boring class such as: "How to talk to girls 101." However, this also can hurt the presentation if you demean them in some way, such as asking a lot of questions you know they can't answer correctly and making them look like a fool in the process.

2) Powerpoints. Everyone today uses powerpoints. They are a wonderful edition when you need visual information displayed such as pieces of art or photographs for examples. They are, I think, one of the best new technologies lecturers and teachers can use to help visually involve you're audience and take the eyes off you (especially if you're not the most attractive person). I don't think these are necessary for EVERY teaching session though. I find it very tiresome to have to watch a teaching/lecture session in the dark with this bright image I don't need distracting me. I also don't see how logical it is when usually you're given the same information in a handout (sometimes more) while it's presented on a screen that people with visual impairments might not be able to read.

3) Doing some kind of an activity with your classmates can be a very fun and memorable experience. I have to say it's one of the things I remember most from training classes is the people I interact with. I think this is actually one of the most positive ideas added to training sessions. I think it's a great time waster (if you need something to fill space) and an even better ice breaker if it's going to be a long class. Some trainers though forget that you need to wrap these things up by using the information gathered by groups to lead into more of the lesson. I think it's also important to let these groups share their views to other members of the class. Peer teaching it probably one of the best ways to have your students remember a concept, idea, or skill.

4) Questions. Okay, this is one I'm going to rant about. I love it when trainers point to a questioner, listen to the query, then tell them "we'll get to that in a minute." It's awful and I'm not sure how to remedy this, but it feels like the question is never fully answered. I'm never satisfied with the explanation I'm given. Perhaps a broad answer to satiate the questioner would be better then explain, "If you don't understand that now it should make more sense farther into our training." Another thing with questions is the, "Any questions" asked at the end of a lecture. That needs to be dropped and instead a "feel free to ask questions at any time during the lesson" should be added at the beginning. I mean, how often do you actually WANT to stay longer in class? I don't feel this is a very effective place to state that since no one wants to be the person that keeps everyone any longer.

I really think lectures/training classes are a necessary evil. Issues need to brought up to your workers and policies have to be explained somewhere. No one reads the 500 page code of conduct. Who has time? However, I feel that trainers are some of the worst educators and really should look farther into their bag of tricks to find gems that will make training more bearable and enriching.

The FINAL Fantasy

I've recently been going back to games that have been collecting dust on my shelf, those included being the Final Fantasy series, and playing them again (or finally beating them). As I'm looking at them as a series now, not just a drooling adolescent waiting for the next game in the series to hit the shelves of my local gaming store, I'm beginning to notice a few trends in them and their fans that are actually causing me to get a little cynical about the series.

First and foremost, I'd like to first point out that a large number of fans believe that Final Fantasy was an original idea (sometimes I hear them say it was the first CRPG [Console Role-playing Game] ever created). This is totally untrue and ruffles my feathers every time I hear someone say this. To begin, we need to remember that Live Action Role-Playing and Board Games were already popular past-times by the time gaming consoles came out, which were strong influences on these games, as were PC games of the same vein. The first influential CRPG was actually a game called Dragonstomper created in 1982 for Atari. This in turn led to a slow trickle of games spawning names such as Dragon Quest (1986, also known as Dragon Warrior in the States) and Final Fantasy (1987). Although these are relatively important titles in the CRPG world, they both borrowed heavily from a game series known as Ultima which was on the PC. Going by the biggest CRPG franchises, Final Fantasy didn't even come out until the same year the SECOND Dragon Quest came out.

Secondly, battles. I have to say that out of all the CRPGs I've ever played, no game has ever made battles so long and monotonous as Final Fantasy. You can argue all you want about how beautiful the spells are, but I don't really care after I've seen them 23 bajillion times. I just want the damn battle to end! It's even worse when you're fighting one possibly ever 2 minutes and each one is the same enemy with the same attacks just whittling away at your precious HP/MP! You can also argue with me that the older ones didn't have the fancy schmancy elaborate spell casting but then I urge you to look at this:
well look at that, instead of three monsters you get in the newer games, there are six. That means there's TWICE as many, which in turn means the battle is twice as long! In other words, what the older games lack in quality they make up for in quantity. Come to think of it...I can't think of any other form of activity where you watch the same exact actions repetitively like to you do in video games, specifically CRPGs...but this is a rant for another time.

Lastly, stories that are indepth and intriguing. Okay, this one is just a rant because I feel Final Fantasy is one of the worst offenders of 'tragic hero' motifs. You have Cecil, Terra (or Tina), Cloud, Squall, and even Tidus to an extent. They are all angsty, sad, unfortunate heroes that are in it for themselves (yes they are...don't lie to yourself). They feel more sorry for themselves and express it to others than any other characters I see. It's typically something you see in anime and has leaked it's way into video games. Final Fantasy is not the only offender, I realize this, however it is one of the biggest selling games with this tied into the plot. I have to say, for as "original" as people say these plots are, there is still such a trend in all of them that can't be avoided. I honestly don't mind the reoccurring plots of most CRPGs, that's why I play them. Just please stop saying it's original when it's not. Poor hero gets caught up in massive conflict, with a plot twist somewhere in the middle (usually the main villian changing somehow), and has to find himself along the way...there I summed it up...thank you.

Alright, so this is a really long rant about a really stupid topic. I just don't think Final Fantasy is as amazing as most people do. I AM really a CRPG fan at heart...I promise.

And so it begins...

I figured since so many people I know and care about have blogs I'd start my own...I'm not even sure what this is going to be about but a Universe Creator has a lot of experience...


I'll think of something.