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(10/13/11 12:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Crime, by the very definition of the word, is something you shouldn’t do, and hopefully, most of us never will. That reason is perhaps why the genre of noir, or crime fiction, exists. It’s like modern-day fantasy. We might never get to be the one to commit a big crime, but it’s fun to read for just that reason. Noir is a rich genre covering every medium of entertainment, including comics.Originating in movies of the 1940s and ’50s, film noir can be a difficult genre to describe. To keep it simple, the ideal noir story is crime fiction with a more artistic attitude. They aren’t just simple murder-by-numbers stories; they have a cynical but poetic reverence for crime. Comics are one of the best mediums for telling stories like this, if any of the following three comics are any indication.One of the classic characters of the genre is Parker from a series of books by author Donald Westlake. The character’s first book, “The Hunter,” has had a number of adaptations, including the film “Payback” starring Mel Gibson, but none were authorized to use the character’s actual name until comic artist Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation.Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation of the books “The Hunter” and “The Outfit” portray Parker as the biggest criminal badass you will ever see. They tell the stories of Parker as he tries to get payback on fellow criminals who tried to murder him. They are classic criminal revenge tales aided by Cooke’s use of just two colors: blue and white. The use of color creates a dynamic between light and dark, which emphasizes the noir themes of the stories.While revenge stories are great, stories about a likable person who decides to do some very criminal acts can be just as fun.The series “Criminal” from writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips tells six separate crime stories. Of the six storylines, “The Last of the Innocents” is easily the best, telling the story of an Archie-like character returning home for his father’s funeral only to begin making some dark decisions about where to take his life. Brubaker creates a lead that is truly a bad guy but is still somehow likable, and Phillips’ artwork deftly jumps from realistic “modern day” renderings to cartoonish character flashbacks with ease. This isn’t the only noir comic with a cartoon-y element to its style.The Spanish comic “Blacksad” mixes an element into noir that shouldn’t work: all the characters are anthropomorphic animals. The comic tells three separate stories about the feline detective Blacksad that touch on subjects of love, racism and the Cold War. The animal characters make the comic a blast to read, as each animal’s traits reflect their personality. Blacksad is a cat, a crime boss’ bodyguards are a rhino and a bear and Blacksad’s weasely sidekick is well ... a weasel.The animals wouldn’t look so damn convincing if it weren’t for artist Juanjo Guarnido’s artwork. It’s hard to look at without eliciting a gasp and some sort of swear; it’s simply that gorgeous. Looking better than most Disney movies, Guarnido’s colorful artwork renders a world of a 1950s city believably, and every facial expression looks human despite being on an animal. Comics, especially those about crime, are rarely this fun to look at.Crime fiction is a genre that is steeped in the fantasy of getting to see things we will never do ourselves. It shouldn’t be so much fun to read stories about the bad guy. These comics are perfect examples of the genre at its best in any medium.
(09/29/11 4:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The series that started the cover mechanic revolution in shooters, “Gears of War,” has finally reached its conclusion.“Gears of War 3” is a great end to the trilogy, with a thrilling, set piece-filled campaign. And the balance multi-player is difficult to put down.The campaign is the most fun and varied of all the games of the series. The story aspires to tug at your heart, but it fails, due to a feeling of detachment from the great game play. The enemies and environments, however, are the best in the series.The new “Lambent” enemies are constantly mutating, explosive aliens that keep players on their toes. The environments are extremely colorful, ranging from a post-war wasteland to an island paradise. It’s an extremely welcome change from the series’ trademark drab colors.The multi-player is the best ever, with no noticeable glitches and some brutally fun, new weapons. In addition, the game tracks and constantly posts an immense amount of personal statistics. It seems intent on keeping gamers playing, and it really works.Why go to bed when you only need a few more kills to unlock a new weapon colorization?
(09/29/11 3:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Superhero comics can be great for escapism. But sometimes, when you have a bad day, you need something more realistic. You need something that has characters in realistic, relatable situations and reminds you things aren’t as bad as they could be. There are many comic creators who do stories like this, but Adrian Tomine is one of the best.Tomine is a writer/artist who has been publishing his work on and off since 1991 in a series called “Optic Nerve.” Each issue of the series features one or several disconnected short stories about people who, even in the short two-page stories, come across as believable because of the realism of their situations. It can be hard to describe the stories without spoiling them, due to their simplicity, but the emotions they can elicit stick with readers. Stories such as “Layover,” about a man struggling through a day after missing his plane, are instantly relatable. Then there are stories such as “Pink Frosting” that have the ability to rock you to your core with how much emotion Tomine draws in a few short pages. These stories rarely end with much closure. It can be frustrating until you are reminded that real-life experiences don’t always end with closure, either.There is a strange horror to the stories because they can make you question your identity. The characters can be annoying, depressing and less-than-sane, but they have qualities you can easily see in yourself. Reading the stories, readers might think these characters are awful people, but then they start to get that nagging feeling they aren’t so different. It can be hard to admit that the human condition is more complex than we let on.The collections of Tomine’s work, “Sleepwalk and Other Stories” and “Summer Blonde,” are both great examples of his tales, but the graphic novel “Shortcomings” is easily the best, most mature and longest story he has created. “Shortcomings” tells the story of Ben Tanaka as he struggles with relationships, insecurity and racial issues. Tanaka can be a hard character to like, but the way the story explores issues of racial insecurity in the relationship between two Asian-Americans is great. The dialogue and honesty is rarely seen in comics or any other form of entertainment.It isn’t only the writing that is a highlight, however. Tomine’s artwork is simple but intricate. Every story is illustrated in black and white with characters that are composed of only a few lines. Despite this lack of detail, the characters’ emotions read like come off as sad, as they consistently appear slouched and looking at the ground.Before Tomine created “Optic Nerve,” he had been in a creative rut. He was at a point where he didn’t know if comics were something he wanted to pursue anymore, When he discovered the work of Yoshihiro Tatsumi and other alternative creators that showed him comics could be something more than superheroes.Sometimes, simple human stories are more worthwhile bad-day cures than powers and capes.
(09/15/11 12:35pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Status quo is the bane of comic book creators. A Latin term that refers
to the current state of affairs, in comics it’s the essential things
about a character that everyone knows. To creators and publishers, it’s
that sense of familiarity with a character that grows bland even though
fans love it.
Fans like their characters to stay the same. They want Spider-Man to be
married to Mary Jane to fulfill a sense of nostalgia. To comic creators,
though, it can represent a narrative dead end that needs changing for
more story ideas.
The status quo change can happen in a number of ways with varying
degrees of approval from fans. Something like shifting character origins
to a more modern era (like Iron Man) is usually met with approval since
it can be done easily and better fits the character’s current mythos.
Tweaks that aren’t taken well are the ones that change something dramatically in a completely ridiculous way. The
best example of this is when Peter Parker and Mary Jane made a deal
with the devil to save Aunt May from dying. Their end of the bargain was
to erase their marriage. It was as awful as it sounds, and fans still
see it sorely despite the aftermath leading to the best Spider-Man
comics in years.
The major status quo changes, like the massive DC reboot this month,
occur through something called event comics. Event comics are the big
summer blockbusters of the comics world. Different events and plots
happening in a publisher’s universe finally connect, and the status quos
of a lot of characters are changed for not-quite forever.
Publishers pump out a number of short tie-in miniseries to help
illustrate how widely the event comic is changing the universe. For
example, the main series of “Flashpoint” didn’t show you how different
Batman was, so DC insisted you read the Flashpoint Batman tie-in. The tie-ins can be fun and some great stories can be told
with them, but they can also make a huge dent in the wallet just to
follow the main plot.The best event comics are those that get single
elements right. They have tie-ins that are good and add to the main
story, which is easy to follow without having to read the tie-ins. The
main series keeps a breakneck pace like a summer blockbuster and the event concludes with an
entirely new story that changes the status quo for the universe
involved. All these qualities culminate in making you feel like you just
witnessed something important.
To me, the event comic that best illustrates how to do make one correctly is 2005’s “House of M” from Marvel. To
be brief, “House of M” showed a universe where mutants were the
majority and humans the minority. It was great to read how drastically
the X-Men’s lives were altered because of this. The fallout from it,
culling the mutant population down to a slim 198, led to a greater sense
of danger for the X-Men that is still felt to this day in their comics.
Again, status quo changes can be a good or bad thing. They can create great, fun stories or dramatically stupid plots. Regardless,
the characters will always end up reverting to the status quo
eventually, but in the meantime, why not throw a wrench into their
stories, like changing The Punisher into a Frankenstein monster (as in
“Franken-Castle”) for some fun new ideas?
(09/01/11 12:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In late May, DC Comics, the publisher of the “Batman,” “Green Lantern” and “Superman” series, announced a complete reboot of its universe starting Aug. 31. The company is relaunching 52 series with all-new first issues. The entirety of the DC universe is affected by this, with countless characters having reworked origins and some entirely new characters finding themselves in starring roles in self-titled comics.DC also announced that from now on, every title is going to be published for e-comic readers, such as ComiXology, the same day it hits stores. While this should hypothetically be a huge gain for DC on the e-comics scene since rival Marvel still releases digital versions of titles weeks or sometimes months after release dates, it won’t be. DC’s current plan is to price the digital versions the same as the paper copies on the release date and then reduce the digital price after one month. Comic shops are the heart and soul of the business, so I can understand pricing the digital at the same price as the physical as a means of getting people into stores, but they simply don’t have to. Digital comics as a medium are like music-downloading services. If new fans read and enjoy the music or comics that they preview digitally (and cheaply), they are more likely to go to a comic or record shop to enjoy the real thing. Pricing e-comics the same as the regular books could just lead people to wait the one month for the price to drop.One of the main concerns I have with this reboot is it could easily further complicate continuity instead of simplifying it. DC is introducing a new timeline in which all of the heroes seemingly first emerged five years ago in an effort to make all the comics a good jumping-on point for new readers. The problem is that a whole bunch of comics are taking place at different points in the timeline. For instance, one Superman title is taking place at the start of the five years and other Superman titles take place in the “current” timeline. It could be a confusing mess for new readers.To add on to that problem, DC editors are insisting that many events, such as Batman training three different Robins, still happened despite the five-year time frame. Fans of the characters could have to ruffle through issues to figure out which events are still part of the continuity and which are not. Of course, these aears might quickly be alleviated when the first comics are released and we see what the actual world DC is creating is like. These impressions are being made without a single one of the 52 new runs being read, after all. There are still some very cool things about this whole reboot. There will be 52 entirely new creative directions for characters I love, and it is always refreshing to see different takes on characters so ingrained in comic culture.One comic in the reboot has me excited more than any other. “Stormwatch” will star characters from “The Authority,” a Justice League-like superhero team that operates in the shadows as the heroes battle against the moon. That kind of off-the-wall insanity is the reason I love comics.
(07/29/11 10:34pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Captain America is my favorite superhero. My dad would often read the comics to me growing up. His stories about how he imagined his own father, who served in World War II, to be his own sort of Captain America inspired a love for the character in me. This is a character I’ve wanted to see on the big screen for years, and it was great to see this film living up to all my hopes.Set in the early 1940s during World War II, Captain America tells the story of how a skinny little kid from Brooklyn became the titular superhero. It is very much an extended origin story for the Avengers next year, but the tone of the story is so fun and pulpy. Like Indiana Jones, it stands on its own as a great piece of superhero cinema.The film manages to fit a great deal of events into its two hour running time. We see everything from Cap’s beginnings to him frozen in Antarctica. Nearly a quarter of the film is spent on thin little pre-Captain America, Steve Rogers. Chris Evans’ face is superimposed on a skinny actors face, much like Benjamin Button, and the result is uncanny. Chris Evans initially seemed like a strange choice of Cap, given his tendency to play the comic relief role in other films, but he works wonderfully here.Evans captures Steve Roger’s awkwardness, and he keeps an earnestness even after his super-soldier transformation. When asked later in the film why he of all people was chosen to be a super soldier, he responds, “I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.”The best part about the film is that every actor seems to be having a blast and they are all given a chance at some small development. Hugo Weaving is always a great villain, and the rest of the cast, including Tommy Lee Jones, Hayley Atwell and Dominic Cooper, all give standout performances.The comedic elements in the film, especially some hilarious lines from Cooper, balance well with the pulpy action. Cap is best known for throwing his shield around like a massive boomerang, and it is definitely the coolest effect in the film. The way Evans launches the shield seems effortless with his immense strength.There are a few things that bothered me, though. First of all, the actors portraying German characters don’t even try with their accents. It just sounds like they are spitting more when they talk. Secondly, the ending of the film feels completely out of place. I know it has to tie into the Avengers film next year, but it cheapens the integrity of this movie, making it feel less like a standalone
(04/28/11 12:29am)
New adaptations for Cap, Thor, the young X-Men and the Green Lantern
(03/23/11 9:09pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Paul” is the first movie from comedy duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost that doesn’t include director and co-writer Edgar Wright. The trio created “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz,” which were great zombie and action movie buddy comedies respectively. Knowing that, it’s disappointing that “Paul” is so uneven.“Paul” follows two sci-fi nerds, Grame (Pegg) and Clive (Frost), as they go on a road trip to visit all the famous alien attractions in the southwest United States. Early on, they run into Paul the alien, voiced by Seth Rogen, and three government agents pursue them throughout the movie.The first half of the movie is a rather bland and boring road trip movie, hinging on the characters pissing off a number of individuals and the chase sequences that ensue. Laughs are few and not especially good. It’s an awkward first 45 minutes as jokes come and go but no laughs are had. It is strange, then, that it isn’t an alien that makes the movie bearable but the introduction of Kristen Wiig’s character. Wiig plays the daughter of a Bible-thumping trailer park owner. Her interactions with Paul after being raised a strict Christian are great. Wiig brings a playful cluelessness to the role, and she shines in every scene, the main highlight being her attempts at swearing.With the introduction of Wiig, everything in the movie gets better. The chemistry between characters really pops out, the movie’s pace picks up exponentially and the laughs become actually funny and memorable. The numerous references to other elements of nerd culture elicit the most laughs.Jason Bateman, Joe Lo Truglio and Bill Hader are all serviceable as the government agents chasing after Paul. Their scenes try to be funny but mostly fall flat.Seth Rogen’s voice acting is great and the CGI for his character is good as well, but there is a frustrating disconnect between the two. Rogen’s deep and loud voice never really looks right coming out of the skinny little alien.It is a shame the first half of the movie is so bad. If it weren’t for that, “Paul” would have been one of the better comedies in recent years. As it stands, “Paul” is a disappointing first outing for Pegg and Frost as writing partners.
(03/03/11 2:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“All Star Superman” is the best Superman comic ever told, and that is not hyperbole. Writer Grant Morrison brings out all of the greatest qualities of Superman while humanizing him in the process. On that precedent, it is incredible the animated movie lives up to the comic.The story of “All Star Superman” is about Superman during his last few months of life as he accomplishes some final superheroics and comes to terms with his relationships with Lex Luthor and Lois Lane. The movie works so well because it cuts the bloat of the comic down into a focused story of Superman’s relationship with Lex and Lois, the two most important people in his life.The only downside to the movie is Superman’s voice actor, who is too deadpan and kills some emotional oomph of scenes.The animation is great, not following the exact style of the comic but still recreating iconic scenes from the comics with its own flair.The extras on the Blu-ray are highlighted with interviews detailing the whole process of making the comic and film.
(02/28/11 11:03pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Oscar broadcast was so dull on Sunday night, we had to do something to keep ourselves busy. So members of the WEEKEND staff and former editor Cory Barker participated in a live chat throughout the ceremony.We racked up over 500 comments and an additional 100 reader comments throughout the agonizing four hour broadcast.For those of you who missed it, enjoy this sampling of some of the Greatest Hits of our live chat a la AV Club.As Scarlet Johannson is being interviewed on the red carpet:
Cory Barker: ScarJo's date is walking around daring someone to ask him who the hell he is.
As Oscar hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway enter the stage
following a pretty lame pre-recorded segment of them being included in
all the Best Picture nominees:
Matt Lyles : Franco smoked a joint while they were playing that. That's what all the smoke was.As the first award of the evening, art direction, goes to "Alice in Wonderland" over BWelk's pick in the category for the Outguess Ebert competition, "The King's Speech:" Brian Welk: WHAT ALREADY LOST MY $100,000!?As Kirk Douglas presents (eventually) the award for Best Supporting Actress:Cory Barker: Wasn't the goal of hiring the younger hosts to appeal to younger viewers? As the nominees for Best Supporting Actress are announced:Cory Barker: If you saw Animal Kingdom, I'll PayPal you a dollar. (Brian did)As BWelk goes 0-4 early on after "The Lost Thing" upsets Pixar's "Day and Night:"Brian Welk: How did the Academy not choose the one short
film that EVERYONE has seen? I'm not saying that based on quality but
simple technicality and logic. As Lee Unkrich gives his acceptance speech for "Toy Story 3" winning Best Animated Feature:Cory Barker: Hey Lee, you don't have to sell ANYONE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD about the awesomeness of Pixar. As Aaron Sorkin is announced as the winner for Best Adapted Screenplay:Cory Barker: [Enter Sorkin cocaine joke here.] As the music attempts to play Aaron Sorkin off stage:Mikel Kjell: Play him off keyboard cat.As Aaron Sorkin finally concludes his speech:Brian Welk: Good speech Sorkin. But Paddy Chayefsky's movie doesn't have Network in the title. The title IS Network. As they announce the nominees for Best Original Score and prepare to perform them live:Matt Lyles: How is a symphony going to play Trent Reznor?As "Inception" gets its first of three technical awards of the evening:Cory Barker: First thing I thought of when the INCEPTION title card hit at the end: That's some good fucking sound mixing. As the presenters continue to trudge through Sound Editing and Mixing:Cory Barker: Were all presenters required to take and subsequently fail a drug test? As the "Inception" train kept rolling:Cory Barker: I love how the last two winners have made sure to point out Nolan's awesomeness as to tell the Academy to go fuck themselves. After an awful auto-tuned version of "Harry Potter 7," "The Social Network" and "Twilight: Eclipse."Cory Barker: So that was this year's Ben Stiller in a terrible costume, right? As a certain African American female media mogul announces the Best Documentary nominees: Brian Welk: Oprah's Banksy. As the cast of "Sherlock Holmes" presents the next category:Brian Marks: Is Jude Law still relevant?And the Instant Poll results: 40% Yes 40% No20% Who's Jude Law?As Billy Crystal makes the one slightly funny appearance of the evening:Cory Barker: Jesus, has Bill Crystal aged since 1992?Brian Marks: He runs on a nuclear powered core.As Jude Law continues to prove his relevance: Cory Barker: And apparently, Jude Law when makes jokes about RJD's past it's cool. When Gervais does it, it's awful. On "Inception" getting snubbed from the Film Editing category:Cory Barker: How stupid is it that Inception wasn't even nominated in this category? Brian Welk: The time shifts and perspective shifts in Social
Network are totally Rashomon. As riveting as 127 Hours was, this
deserves it. Although I am surprised the big action movie didn't get a
nod. Cory Barker: But Inception doesn't work without the editing. (of course, apparently I'm the only person in this chat that likes Inception.) Brian Welk: Well, no movie "works" without the editing.Cory Barker: I HATE YOUFollowing a user comment that claimed "127 Hours" was the "BASIS of Film Editing:"Brian Marks: Yes, the best editing category was created decades ago in anticipation of 127 Hours As Jennifer Hudson introduced the third of four Original Song nominees:Mikel Kjell: Rock man is how hudson pronouced A. R Rahman's name, he should win this just because he is actually mega man I guess. As Gwyneth Paltrow, "Country music's newest star," starts to perform a song from "Country Strong:"Matt Lyles: The minute I come back I have to watch Gwyneth Paltrow singing country music? Fuck you, Academy. On Randy Newman's Best Original Song victory for "We Belong Together:"Mikel Kjell: Randy Numan is terrible Brian Marks: He used to be important. Before he sold his soul to Pixar. Mikel Kjell: Sing more about stuff you see Brian Welk: I thought he was exaggerating, but he really has been nominated 20 times. Matt Lyles: Randy Newman sounds too much like Christopher Walken for comfort right now. Cory Barker: There is no awards show that requires a full
calendar year of distance from it as soon as it's over like the Oscars.
Jesus this makes me want to drink heavily. As 11:00 rolled around:Matt Lyles: We've been doing this for 3 hours. Kirk Douglas took up half that time. As Celine Dion sings Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" over the In Memoriam segment:Cory Barker: Celine is thinking to herself: "I will never be in this montage. I will live forever."As the montage wraps: Matt Lyles: Corey Haim for the snub. Cory Barker: Thank god for the Internet and its ability to make Corey Haim not making the Necrology feel like a big deal. Matt Lyles: Corey Haim left a will. "I do not want to be in the In Memoriam segment if Celine Dion sings." Cory Barker: Matt Lyles, way to steal Tim Goodman's joke right off Twitter! As Tom Hooper accepts his Oscar for Best Director:Brian Welk: One of my friends pointed out that I look like Tom Hooper. Cory Barker: I mean loved The King's Speech, but fuck. C'mon. In 20 years, what movie gets remembered? Mikel Kjell: the damned
united is one of the best sports movies ever made but the direction was
just beautiful image after beautiful image, not a lot more than that. Cory Barker: Twitter hates Tom Hooper. As the Dude presents Best Actress:Cory Barker: Hey, it's TRON LEGACY's Jeff Bridges. As we near the end:
Cory Barker: Also when Dane Cook is making fun of your hosting through TwitPic, something might be wrong.Mikel Kjell: I dont think franco is high, I just think he doesnt give a shit about this anymoreAdam Lukach: I mean he's been hosting for 3 hours now. He's definitely come down if he was high. Cory Barker: I have to imagine that Franco is both high and trying something completely new with his performance. As Natalie Portman wins her Oscar for Best Actress:Cory Barker: Please don't laugh. Please don't laugh. As Sandra Bullock presents the award for Best Actor:Cory Barker: Sandra Bullock is awesome. I don't care. Judge me. Brian Marks: DoneAdam Lukach: Lots of judgment @ Cory As the clip from "The Social Network" plays in which Jesse Eisenberg recites, "You have the minimum amount of my attention:"Brian Welk: His speech is like an analogy for this broadcast. As Colin Firth claims his Best Actor Oscar for "The King's Speech:"Cory Barker: He's totally stuttering his way through this. Is this some sort of performance art? As we begin to make sickening realizations:Cory Barker: True Grit - 0, The Wolfman - 1, Alice - 2As "King's Speech" is declared The Best Picture of 2010:Mikel Kjell: Knew king's speech was going to win when they used it for the fucking narration of the nomineesCory Barker: I hope there's outcry on Twitter like the Grammys. "WHO THE FUCK IS THE KING AND WHAT IS HIS SPEECH." Adam Lukach: whatisakingsspeech.tumblr.com (not a real site) As the PS22 Choir performs "Over the Rainbow" as part of an Oscar finale:Adam Lukach: I hope Roman Polanski isn't there.
(02/17/11 2:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>What kind of world do you want to immerse yourself in? Do you want to cruise around cities taking out super villains, go up against massive undead armies or enjoy the view of supernovas from your spaceship? MMOs are a huge time commitment, so choosing a genre (or universe) you like is important. Here are a few of the most popular ones.FantasyGames: “EverQuest II,” “The Lord of the Rings Online,” “World of Warcraft,” “Rift”Fantasy MMOs take place in worlds where weird, unbelievable things like dragons, cow people riding raptors and other oddities are commonplace. Elves, dwarves and humans are often playable races, but some games feature stranger player characters. They tend to focus on familiar class systems with some form of rogues, warriors and mages being present in most games. “World of Warcraft” is the reigning king of this genre, with six years and three expansions worth of content to explore. “WoW” set the current standard for MMO game play, where combat occurs in real time and attacks require players to cool down on usage. Sci-fiGames: “EVE Online,” “Star Trek Online,” “Star Wars: The Old Republic” (upcoming)Sci-fi MMOs take place in the cold reaches of space, where your player character is rarely seen compared to your spaceship. Ship-to-ship combat is the main focus of combat in “EVE” and “Star Trek,” and upgrading your spaceship takes the place of leveling up your character. Role-playing can be a huge part of the games, especially in “EVE,” where slow-building assassination plots and political upheavals have occurred in the player base. “Star Wars: The Old Republic” will feature a different take on the genre, focusing more on “WoW”-style, real-time combat and battles between damage dealers, damage takers and healers rather than ship-to-ship combat. SuperheroGames: “DC Universe Online,” “Champions Online,” “City of Heroes” Superhero MMOs merge sci-fi and fantasy into a cityscape setting. You begin the game as a hero or villain fighting street thugs until you become strong enough to fight big-name characters. The biggest strength in superhero MMOs is customization. Players get to choose nearly every costume piece found on their hero or villain, allowing players to stand out from others. While combat is similar to that found in “WoW,” superhero MMOs have a strong emphasis on movement and action. “DC Universe Online” controls like a shooting game, encouraging characters to lock on and run around during combat. However, “DC Universe” is the only game of this genre to feature real comic book characters, as “Champions” and “City of Heroes” feature worlds created specifically for the game. MiscellaneousGames: countless other gamesOne of the best things about the MMO genre is the sheer variety of game play styles that are being adapted into an RPG. There are racing MMOs like “Need For Speed: World,” shooters like “Battlefield Heroes” and “Combat Arms” and even MMOs for kids like “Disney’s Toontown Online” and “Free Realms.” There are even MMOs for golfers. Many MMOs follow the free-to-play model where playing the game is free, but you can spend money to buy in-game goods.
(12/08/10 11:35pm)
The show must go on
(12/08/10 11:15pm)
WEEKEND breaks down the Top 20 movies of 2010.
(12/08/10 11:05pm)
The finest in images and words this year
(10/13/10 11:39pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Video games deserve to be classified as an art form.The argument it is still too early for them to be called that is far past. The medium has been around for decades now, and there are an abundance of reasons why they should be considered such.First of all, there are a number of narrative techniques that can only be done in games. There are games such as “Mass Effect 2,” where the decisions players make feel as if they have lasting effects on the story and where at the end players feel as if the experience was uniquely theirs.Players can only do that in games; movies, music and books are all passive mediums where consumers can be involved in an emotional way but can do nothing to alter the mediums. Those against classifying video games as art may say art is supposed to be a passive medium, that consumers should just be viewers and not be participants. But can’t the term evolve?Another unique form of storytelling inherent in games is the amount of time spent becoming invested in the worlds they contain. It isn’t just a few pages or few hours of a movie or TV show. Games can last more than 20 hours, and players are controlling the characters. It’s an entirely different experience only watching the downfall of a character than to actually play through it. Players become more invested in the story since they are controlling the character. Games are the only medium where players can physically control a character’s fall from grace, their dark rise to power and their eventual destruction, such as in the “Warcraft” series.There is also an intense aesthetic value that is only present in games. Video games are paintings we get to explore, and realism is never a necessity. One of the best-looking games of the last console generation was “Okami,” a game that felt as though the player was playing within a 3-D Japanese water painting. The look of games can be just as varied as any other art form. Areas in games can convey just as many emotions as paintings do, such as the feelings of despair and isolation the world of “Shadow of the Colossus” conveys.The assets that make up a game all go together to create an artistic whole. There are games where the visuals, music and game play all combine to form something a player has never seen before. The game “Rez” uses the gameplay more as a backdrop for its trance-inducing music (to which players contribute with each shot they fire, adding to the beat) combined with its visuals into an artistic experience a player can’t get anywhere else.Roger Ebert argues there are no game developers worthy of comparison to the great poets, filmmakers, etc., but there are people in games who are worthy. The pioneers such as Shigeru Miyamoto with Mario or modern day innovators such as Jonathan Blow with “Braid” prove this. Every medium of art has its great artists, and games are no different.This isn’t to say that all games are works of art. Similar to movies, there are crappy pieces put out just for money. There are the levels of polish expected of games, but that is just as expected of any form. It is the games that balance these expectations with throwing something unique into the mix that make video games worthy of the definition of art.
(10/07/10 12:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“The U,” director Billy Corben, 2009 — After the Dolphin’s 1972 perfection and before Dan Marino (and even into his tenure), the University of Miami, aka “The U,” was defining what football meant to South Florida. Billy Corben’s documentary of the same name is a fascinating depiction of how the social and racial unrest of early Miami of the 1980s manifested itself in the Miami football program. The players coaches Howard Schnellenberger and Jimmy Johnson recruited were as brash and unpredictable as the rapidly developing city itself. The interviews and footage are brilliant snapshots of how gangster and thug culture were really received before hip-hop took them to the mainstream. — Adam Lukach“Man on Wire,” director James Marsh, 2008 — “Man on Wire” follows Philippe Petit, a 24-year-old wire walker from France, as he sets out to fulfill an extremely lofty dream. Petit wanted to perform a high-wire walk between the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers, which were the tallest buildings in the world in 1974 when the events of the film took place. As the fascinating events unfold, interviews with Petit’s friends add richness to the narrative and offer insight into Petit’s motivations. “Man on Wire” won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary, a collection of other prestigious awards and the hearts of audiences everywhere. — Corin Chellberg “Super Size Me,” director Morgan Spurlock, 2004 — “Super Size Me” follows filmmaker Morgan Spurlock as he sets out to eat nothing but food from McDonald’s for 30 days. His goal is to illustrate by exaggeration the health risks of the country’s increasing consumption of unhealthy fast food. He goes through an ever-worsening range of symptoms as the film progresses, starting with weight gain and eventually including depression, sexual dysfunction and heart palpitations. By the time Spurlock completed his experiment, he had gained almost 25 pounds. This entertaining but stomach-turning film will make you think twice before ordering a Big Mac the next time you are at McDonald’s, and that’s probably a good thing. — CC“Sherman’s March,” director Ross McElwee, 1986 — “Sherman’s March” begins with a shot of a massive empty apartment as McElwee narrates how he always dreamed of making a movie tracing Northern general William Sherman’s march through the South during The Civil War and seeing if its effects are still relevant today. However, it quickly turns into a tale of McElwee’s love for the women in his life and his failures in connecting with them. At times heartbreaking and hilarious, “Sherman’s March” is the film Woody Allen would make if he made a documentary. — Mikel Kjell“Jesus Camp,” directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, 2006 — In the last decade, dozens of skeptical filmmakers have directed their vitriol at organized religion, blaming its influence for everything from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 to the corruption of young children. While Bill Maher’s much more successful “Religulous” uses humor to aim at the former, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s “Jesus Camp,” the far superior documentary, seeks to shine light on the latter. Scenes like the one of home-schooled children of Evangelical Christians pledging their allegiance to the flag of the Christian nation after being taught by their mother that evolution is an unproven theory are truly disturbing. The film should serve as a call to arms to stop extremists from teaching their kids whatever they want. — Brad Sanders“For All Mankind,” director Al Reinert 1989 — Filmmaker Al Reinert documented the history of the Apollo space missions using footage shot by the astronauts themselves. The film features a classic score from Brian Eno, the perfect accompaniment to Reinert’s celestial visuals. No fictional movie to date has represented anything as visually stunning as the documentary footage used here. — Brian Marks“F for Fake,” director Orson Welles, 1974 — Orson Welles’ final film was this free-form documentary that was part a study of reality and fiction, a pure experiment in filmmaking, a biography of an international art forger, an autobiography of Welles’ career, factual to the smallest detail, and part lying through his own teeth. It’s a bizarre work of art by the greatest of all directors, and real or fake, it’s absolutely mesmerizing. — Brian Welk“An Inconvenient Truth,” director Davis Guggenheim, 2006 — “An Inconvenient Truth” is the famous documentary of former Vice President Al Gore’s efforts to teach people around the world about global warming by giving detail-rich and visually stunning presentations. A large portion of the film is that very presentation, presented on a massive scale. That format combined with Gore’s reputation as a bland speaker may sound more like a nap-inducing lecture than a documentary film, but the presentation is dramatic, compelling and backed by a mountain of widely accepted data. The film paints a chilling picture of a slowly warming planet and serves as a clarion call to action, and it was the first to do so for the masses. — CC“Night and Fog,” director Alain Resnais, 1955 — Alain Resnais’ documentary about the Holocaust is one of the shortest made on the subject and also one of the most important. Resnais avoids minutiae and instead focuses on why something so unimaginable could happen. The answer: There is no explanation. — BM“Woodstock,” director Michael Wadleigh, 1970 — “Woodstock,” directed by Michael Wadleigh, helped to define an entire generation.Wadleigh (with the help of editors, including a young Martin Scorsese) used innovative visual techniques to catalogue all of the music and mayhem of the famous festival. See it if only for Jimi Hendrix’s closing performance. — BMThe “Up” Series, director Michael Apted — The “Up” series became the most ambitious collection of films ever made, fact or fiction, after starting in 1964 with 14 students and the mantra, “Give me a child until the age of 7, and I will give you the man.” Michael Apted faithfully followed how 14 kids from different parts of Britain grew and developed in seven-year intervals, and his project has not stopped. In 2005, Apted’s subjects turned 49 in the series’s seventh installment, and “56 Up” has been announced for a 2012 release. — BW“The Man With the Movie Camera,” director Dziga Vertov, 1929 — Regardless of whether you can call it a documentary, “The Man With the Movie Camera” is one of the greatest films ever made. Released in 1929 with an average shot-length as rapid as today’s action extravaganzas, the film was the first wholly cinematic experience of the time. It has no plot, no characters and no intertitles, and it proved that audiences could watch the shooting, editing and screening of a film about the day in the life of the people of Moscow. It’s one of the most remarkable cinematic experiments of all time. — BW“The Cove,” director Louie Psihoyos, 2009 — The Oscar-winning documentary of last year is one of the most heartbreaking, empathetic documentaries I’ve ever seen. It condemns the practice of dolphin slaughter in Japan on an emotional, environmental, ecological, political, cultural and medical level. It does all of this as though the viewer were watching a crime caper. Try not to cry at the horrific footage of dolphins being stabbed to death in a secret cove off the coast of Taiji, Japan. — BW
(09/23/10 12:15am)
WEEKEND suggests fifteen great underground artists
(09/22/10 11:55pm)
WEEKEND runs down fifteen unappreciated gems
(09/22/10 10:52pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The “Halo” franchise has been a staple of Microsoft’s lineup since the launch of the Xbox. It is their flagship franchise, thanks mostly to developer Bungie. “Halo: Reach” is Bungie’s last “Halo” game before it goes off to create a new, multi-console franchise — and it’s the developer’s finest one yet.The single-player campaign is the most polished of all the games. The pace is brisk and the story is the strongest, focusing on more human characters rather than the faceless Master Chief. All the missions are solid; there isn’t a single level that feels unnecessary, a first for the series. The most memorable sequence has players fighting to get to a spaceship before really rumbling in said ship.The multiplayer has the most replayabilty of any game I’ve ever seen. The sheer amount of options, from co-op survival mode to firefights to the suite of level creation tools, there is so much to do in the game. It’s rare to feel the $60 was truly worth a game, but every dollar is worth at least an hour of game time.
(04/27/10 9:22pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Over the past decade or so, the comic book film has become big business for the media industries and sometimes big fun for audiences. And some times, big, steaming piles of garbage in the case of “adaptations” like “Ghost Rider.” Thus, for our final staff list of the semester, WEEKEND contributors discuss the best and worst comic book films of all time. The best“Ghost World” (2001): Terry Zwigoff’s adaptation of Daniel Clowes’ graphic novel is the gold standard for literary comic book films. The characters are realistic and sympathetic, while the dialogue is sharp and witty. You probably won’t even realize it’s based on a comic. – Brian Marks“X2: X-Men United” (2003): Before “Spider-Man 2” and “The Dark Knight” convinced everyone that the comic book movie could be a place for legitimate storytelling and character analysis, “X2” did the same things to a lesser extent and lesser fan-fare. But just like those that came after, this film proved that sequels can be better than the original, especially when character is serviced above set pieces. – Cory Barker“Spider-Man 2” (2004): While the groundbreaking “Spider-Man” was a fun popcorn movie, the sequel proved to be a riveting, fairly awesome and actually real-world rooted film without losing any of the tone that made the original so indicative of the comic. Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus is one of those all time iconic movie villains, and although I never read a bunch of the comics, even I knew J.K. Simmons was the absolute best casting choice for Jonah Jameson. – Brian Welk“A History of Violence” (2005): Yeah it was based on a comic! It took what was a pretty standard and straight forward “former criminal made good” comic and turned into a haunting story of violence coming to a small town. It smartly tells the story on a far more realistic and serious note than the comic, with a great performance from Viggo Mortensen. – Mikel Kjell“V For Vendetta” (2006): Though it doesn’t keep such a dark, depressing and aggressive voice as Alan Moore intended with his graphic novel, the Wachowski Brothers know how to write about oppressed civilizations. And thankfully, the film isn’t stuffed with celebratory action sequences, but instead emphasizes the intriguing relationship between V and Evey. – CB “300” (2007): I found it hard to justify the vicious level of gratuitous violence and sex “300” had to offer, but I was enchanted by what felt like such an artful and visceral experience of sheer male testosterone. – BW“Persepolis” (2007): Marjane Satrapi’s movie adaptation of her classic comic gave us all the quirky animation and political commentary we would expect from this story about the Islamic revolution in Iran. – Megan Clayton“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (2008): Guillermo Del Toro’s first foray into the big red devil’s child was a solid exercise in world-building, but with the “Pan’s Labyrinth” glow on his work, he was able to combine the great elements of the first Hellboy film with his love of cool-looking monsters to make the second journey much improved. – CB “Iron Man” (2008): This one deserves mad props. People who don’t read comics had never heard of Tony Stark, but suddenly his accessibility is on-par with Batman’s. The guy has no powers; his vast intellect (and fortune) make him a superhero, while Robert Downey Jr.’s fantastic performance made him the perfect sympathetic smart-ass. This one compelled an immediate second viewing. – Vanessa Torline“The Dark Knight” (2008): Had Batman, the Joker, and Two Face never existed before “The Dark Knight,” the characters still would’ve completely worked. As it is, the film serves as the best example of how to do an original take on pre-existing characters that stays true to their essence in a compelling, modern context. Who doesn’t get chills when from the pencil trick? Who doesn’t feel dread when the clown puts the gun in Harvey’s hand? – Kaleb HavensHonorable mention: “Sin City” (2005), “Batman Begins” (2005), “Road to Perdition” (2002), "American Splendor" (2003)Check out the worst by clicking on the link to the right of this story!