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Zack & Nick's Culture Cast
Digesting the lowest rung of pop culture so you don't have to!
Tag Archives: Friday Five
Friday Five: Snubbed Survivors Edition
Posted by on February 22, 2013
The Friday Five has been resurrected from the grave this week for a quick look into five Survivor players who I feel deserved a shot to come back for the current season, Survivor: Caramoan – Fans Vs. Favorites. You can also keep up with my weekly Survivor recap posts, the most recent of which was just updated this past Wednesday. Be sure to check back each week for recaps and insight into this most current season of Survivor, the best reality show on television.
Note: I chose contestants from a pool of only the most recent seasons, with the exception of Heroes Vs. Villains (an All-Star season). I wanted to choose contestants who had yet to appear a second time on the show.
5. David Murphy (Original Season: Redemption Island)
David Murphy — Probably contemplating blindsiding someone.
Lawyer David Murphy was the first castaway targeted after the merge in Survivor: Redemption Island. Boston Rob probably targeted Murphy because of his intelligence, scheming, and ability to perform well in puzzle-based challenges. Murphy eventually campaigned for Boston Rob’s near-unanimous victory from the jury, realizing he had been beaten by one of the best. I liked David for his intelligence and tendency to speak out, even against his own alliance. I disliked that he threw a challenge to oust a tribemate (Russell Hantz), but I can at least understand why he did it. Murphy could have gone far had he been in the majority alliance. Like Rob C. in Amazon, Murphy was a smart player who had the potential to win it all. He deserves a second chance to succeed in Survivor.
4. Sarah Dawson (Original Season: Philippines)
Sarah Dawson, about to pounce on Probst.
Dawson’s most interesting moment in Survivor: Philippines came when, upon being ousted in a blind-side vote, she kissed host Jeff Probst on the cheek, the first time anyone had done that. It was her grit, good nature, and interesting personality that drew me to Dawson, but it was this kiss which sealed my love for her. Dawson made the mistake of not outing Jeff Kent as a former baseball player, and her secret caused her to get voted out by Kent’s majority alliance (along with newcomer Denise). I’m not sure if Dawson was playing to win, or even playing smart, but she brought something fun to the island in her time on Survivor: Philippines. I’d be willing to see her come back and compete again, especially because it is clear she’s a true fan of the show and not just a bland recruit.
3. Alicia Rosa (Original Season: One World)
Alicia Rosa, one of the best female villains the show has featured.
Alicia was one of the two big villains on Survivor: One World, an otherwise almost unremarkable season. Her outrageous comments, devilish scheming, and harsh treatment of fellow castaways endeared her to me in a way only a good Survivor character can. While not the biggest villain of her season (that would be the notorious Colton, who I actually don’t want to see come back), Alicia is by far one of Survivor’s most tolerable badguys. I would love to see her come back and compete as a part of a game where she actually has a shot at winning (let’s face it, no one but Kim was gonna win One World). I would also like to see her in a different tribal element (One World was a men vs. women season, and those haven’t worked well since Amazon in 2003). Alicia’s behavior caused a minor backlash from fans, but she won me over when she seemed generally remorseful of her harsh comments and behavior at the reunion show.
2. Troy “Troyzan” Robertson (Original Season: One World)
Troy “Troyzan” Robertson — It *was* his island, and he made the season entertaining.
Troyzan Robertson was one of the few reasons I kept coming back to Survivor: One World – even more so than Alicia Rosa (who he famously feuded with). Troy was screwed over several times in the game – not only by the stupid men vs. women twist, but also by the whole One World concept itself (both tribes lived on the same beach and shared resources). Had he been placed on a normal beach in a mixed-gender tribe from the start, I feel Troyzan could have gone even further in the game and would have had an excellent shot at winning. It helps that Troy is a good-natured, top notch competitor who is also well-spoken in his confessionals. He’s an easy-to-root-for hero, and would be well-worth a spot in another All-Star edition of Survivor. Rumor has it that Troy was expected back for the current season, Caramoan, but was replaced by Malcolm from Survivor: Philippines. If true, I can live with it because I like Malcolm, but I also expect CBS casting to put Troyzan on a new season as soon as possible.
1. Marty Piombo (Original Season: Nicaragua)
Marty Piombo, one of the smartest and most arrogant (and yet still likable!) Survivors of all time.
Nicaragua was a season that gets a lot of flak from fans, but I actually think it was somewhat underrated. It wasn’t helpful that Nicaragua aired immediately after Heroes vs. Villains, a season many cite as the best in Survivor history. The old vs. young tribal set-up was a disaster from the start, and the “Medallion of Power” twist was not helpful. Even a tribal swap couldn’t help, as most allegiances were already set and interesting players such as Jill Behm, coincidentally Marty’s ally, were voted off early and unfairly. Marty Piombo was one of the few bright spots in casting during Nicaragua (along with Holly Hoffman and Brenda Lowe). Marty was a highly intelligent, arrogant player who I loved. He made it post-merge, but only slightly so, and was the second jury member of the season. Marty feuded with too many high-level players during the season, including the aforementioned Brenda. It was his feud with Brenda’s alliance (which also included Chase, Sash, and Jane) that sealed his fate, and he was voted off. Just two episodes later, however, two players ended up quitting the season. This highly irritated me, as players like Brenda and Marty had already been voted out and now had to sit next to two quitters when they wholly deserved to be in the game. Marty needs to come back to Survivor immediately, and I could see him going on a tear to win the next season he appears on.
-Z-
Friday Five: Terrible “New Directions”
Posted by on December 7, 2012
In recent years, I have noticed a new phrase used by those in Hollywood: “new direction”. From my understanding, “new direction” means that the producers of a film series want to continue it, but want to do something very different in order to keep the series fresh for audiences. A lot of things can fall underneath this definition from replacing actors/characters to changing the style/tone. The Batman series has undergone this a lot and a good recent example would be the Jason Bourne franchise. Sometimes, it is successful. Most of the time…not as much.
Today, as a fun creative exercise, I want look at five films/film series and predict truly terrible “new directions” for them.
Taken 3
Going in a new direction, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) encounters a female former CIA operative who has just as many skills as he does. This time around, the thing that gets taken….is Mills’s heart. There could be a parallel subplot following Kim (Maggie Grace) and her new boyfriend.
The Hangover: Part IV
Going in a new direction, the Wolf Pack goes on a mountain climbing excursion. However tragedy strikes when Alan (Zack Galifianakis) trips, and he gets his arm lodged between two outcroppings of stone while literally hanging over 500 feet from ground. While Doug (Justin Bartha) runs back down the mountain to get help, Stu (Ed Helms) and Phil (Bradley Cooper) debate whether cutting Alan’s arm off would save him or cause him to plummet to his death.
In Space, No One Can Hear You Die Hard
Going in a new direction, John McClane (Bruce Willis) wins a trip on a commercial space flight. What he doesn’t know is that terrorists from the planet Oonox have seized the spacecraft, loaded it with a nuclear weapon, and plan to destroy the moon. McClane only has a few hours to disarm the nuke and save the moon (which his daughter happens to be on).
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never Again
Going in a new direction, music superstar Justin Bieber (played by himself) is recruited by an elite spy agency trained to become a ruthless killer. Hiding under guise of his pop-culture persona, Bieber travels the world eliminating targets deemed a threat to national security.
Home Alone 6
Going in a new direction, an adult Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) lives a sad and lonely life. With most of his family dead from a tragic Christmas accident years ago, he spends his days sitting around his apartment managing his internet-based company. Upon hearing his old adversaries Harry and Marv (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) have been released from jail, Kevin invites them to live with him in an attempt to no longer live home alone.
Bonus One!
The Expendables 3
Going in a new direction, Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) tasks Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his team to voyage to Mars to prevent an alien invasion led by the Lizard King (Nicolas Cage). [Author’s Note: I would probably see this]
What do you think? Can you come up with some terrible “new direction” ideas to extend a film series past their natural endings?
~N
The Friday Five: Hollywood Tropes I want Left Behind
Posted by on November 30, 2012
It isn’t any big secret that Hollywood likes to recycle parts, pieces, and projects over and over again. Even some elements of Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Avengers matched up unintentionally just this very year. It isn’t like it’s planned either – it’s just a more convenient story-telling method in some cases. Every once in a while a film has to make occasional plot concessions, introduce characters who mostly serve as vehicles of explanation, and rely on time-worn tropes for a more efficient movie that is easy for the audience to understand. There are some Hollywood tropes that I really don’t want to see for quite some time. There are those that I never hope to see in movies ever again. For today’s installment of The Friday Five I will discuss some of these tropes, focusing on ones that have appeared more recently.
5. White people approaching middle-age or old age have problems and shit
Recent Examples: Trouble With the Curve, the upcoming This is 40
Judd Apatow and his ilk are the kings of this trope. It has appeared in The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Funny People (each of which I like a lot to set the record straight). Apatow’s upcoming film This is 40, starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann (Apatow’s real-life wife), takes the trope to its logical conclusion, while also appearing to be the most insufferable movie of the year. Whatever it is about white people in these kinds of movies, it seems they will always have some kind of horrifying but life-changing experience that will teach them all kinds of valuable lessons, perhaps about humility, marriage, children, or some such other Hollywood bullshit. Older people get the same treatment in movies like Trouble With the Curve, where, despite being crotchety and nearly 80 years old, Clint Eastwood is finally able to reconcile with the daughter who always felt abandoned by her traveling, workaholic dad. Please, let’s just get rid of this kind of thing in movies for a while. Don’t people in these films have real problems to deal with? Maybe paying their taxes or their mortgage or something?
4. The super skinny 90 lb. female can easily beat up men three times her size with little effort, just because
Recent Examples: Any Angelina Jolie action movie such as Salt or Wanted, Any Marvel Universe movie, The Dark Knight Rises
I call this one the Joss Whedon effect, as it seems to pop up in everything that guy does (most egregious example – River Tam in Firefly/Serenity, closely followed by Black Widow in The Avengers). This is an irritating trope to me because of how fundamentally unrealistic it is. Whatever the case may be, Scarlett Johansson just isn’t physically capable of pulling off the feats she does in these types of movies, especially with characters like the Hulk and Thor (who is literally a god among men) doing all kinds of science-fictiony stuff in the background. Whatever the case may be, I just cannot suspend my disbelief that much. Another example from this summer is Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, who is inexplicably a martial arts master in addition to being an expert lockpick and thief. There’s no way she should be able to go toe-to-toe with Bane’s henchmen, who were presumably trained as members of the League of Shadows or at least trained by people who were once in the League of Shadows. Luckily, there have been a few movies that have rejected this in recent years. Filmmaker Neil Marshall almost always has bad-ass female roles in his movies that don’t resort to this kind of horseshit. Centurion and Doomsday are both primary examples of this. Olga Kurylenko is fantastic especially in Centurion. I also cite Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in The Hunger Games as another example of a strong female protagonist done well. Stephen Sodergh even cast mixed-martial artist Gina Carano in Haywire this year, and while Haywire wasn’t a great movie, Carano’s action scenes were well-done. Unfortunately, the upcoming Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters looks to be full of this kind of trope.
3. The “I’ve been out of the game for x-number of years, but I’m still top dog” routine
Recent Examples: Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises
The most recent James Bond adventure, Skyfall, is a very strong movie and I liked it quite a bit. I have a few chief complaints, the first being that the film completely dumps the “exposed secret agent” subplot fairly quickly and never revisits it again. The second complaint I have is with Bond himself. Don’t get me wrong, I love James Bond and Craig is great in the role. The problem I have is that Bond, who had been shot and presumed dead, completely fails his training evaluations and is still cleared for dangerous, life-threatening missions. How could MI6 reasonably expect Bond to do well when he couldn’t even pass their fitness and psychological examinations? Bond is clearly in both mental and physical distress, and yet this is rarely mentioned after a point as he can still kick ass with the best of them. Like the exposed secret agent subplot, this one doesn’t pass muster with me. Additionally, in The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce Wayne is also a physically beaten man. Wayne is so beaten up that he has to wear a mechanical device on his knee to even continue being Batman. In the end, however, it seems Wayne uses sheer force of will to make a jump that should realistically be physically impossible for him to do using the movie’s own logic. To me, this is just bad writing.
2. The 90-minute love story haphazardly inserted into a movie it doesn’t belong in
Recent Examples: The Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America
I liked The Amazing Spider-Man much more so than did Nick, but I still have a problem with the relationship between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy in this movie. I appreciate that the filmmakers decided to go with Stacy over Mary Jane Watson, and I appreciate what they did with the characters and how the actors played them (Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone will develop good chemistry in the sequels I’m sure). I do however have a problem with Parker making and then breaking a promise he made to Gwen’s dying police captain father (played by a gruff but likable Denis Leary). The Amazing Spider-Man would have ended just fine without Parker and Stacy getting together as a couple. I would argue that it might have been an even better movie, helping to fit in with the darker tone that director Marc Webb was clearly going for. In another example, Captain America, played by Chris Evans, develops a flimsy relationship with a British intelligence officer played by Hayley Atwell. Upon being reanimated after found frozen in a block of ice in the Antarctic (it’s too complicated to get into), Cap rather unconvincingly ends the movie pining for his lost love. Forget about World War II and the threats facing the entire planet – Cap just wants to know what happened to that British lady he knew for like two months.
1. The “last ditch effort” to either save the city or destroy the enemy, often involving a nuclear bomb
Recent Examples: The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises
This plot trope goes back a long way. I probably first noticed it in the original Star Wars, when (spoiler alert) Luke destroys the Death Star with a conveniently-placed missile. They basically do the same thing in Return of the Jedi as well. Other examples include Independence Day, when Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum upload a computer virus into an alien mother-ship. This was taken to a new extreme in The Avengers, where Tony Stark flies a nuclear bomb into space to destroy the base of operations for the massive alien force invading New York City. In The Dark Knight Rises, Batman must fly a nuclear-armed weapon out over the ocean before it detonates, saving Gotham City from imminent destruction (but poisoning their supply of locally caught fish for thousands of years in the process). This is a plot trope I would like to see go away forever. The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers are both incredibly ambitious films, but when the final action boils down to this time-worn cliché, the writing really take a quality dump for me. In the end it’s just lazy writing and a convenient way for our heroes to save everything while simultaneously ending a massive threat in the most tidy manner possible.
What are your most annoyed movie tropes? Sound off in the comments!
-Z-
Friday Five – Winter Time!
Posted by on October 12, 2012
The Summer Movie season is long over. Now is the time to look forward to see what winter has in store for us. As Zack already has reported, it seems like we have a pretty solid movie slate ahead. So, for this week’s Friday Five, I am going to talk about five movies that I am looking forward to this winter.
SkyFall
I was an early supporter of Daniel Craig as James Bond, and I have been following the production of this movie since Quantum of Solace premiered with a thud in 2008. I am eagerly looking forward to it. It looks solid with a surprisingly superb cast and director. After the slight experimentation of Casino Royale and QoS, this feels like a return to form for the Bond franchise. Prepare yourself for more Bond-related coverage later on this month.
Wreck-It-Ralph
I was a bit lukewarm about this movie when I first heard of it. It struck me a bit too gimmicky for it to be part of the Disney canon. I know that sounds arrogant and stupid, but that was my feelings on it. However, since seeing some previews and getting a better feel about the story, I have to say I am very much looking forward to it. While I am disappointed that Disney continues to neglect traditional animation, one probably would not want a movie about a video game character to be traditionally animated. Plus, I have yet to really find a good animated family film for 2012. Perhaps this will be it.
On the Road
Confession: I loathe the novel. I find it to be pretentious and overrated. I want to yell at the characters to shut up and get a job. Yet, I am utterly intrigued by this movie adaptation. For starters, it is the first time On the Road has been adapted. I was surprised when I realized that. Second, the cast is great. Kristen Stewart, Amy Adams, Kristen Dunst, Steve Buscemi, and the rest are not the ones who I would have pictured to be in a film like this. I feel inclined to check it out.
Jack Reacher
It is Tom Cruise in an action movie. What more can be said. Even the bad Tom Cruise movies are still entertaining. Plus, I am one of the few who actually still likes Tom Cruise. I am sold. Also, I know virtually nothing what this movie is about. Nor am I familiar at all with the source material. And, I am fine with that. I like going into a movie completely blind. It makes for a very entertaining experience because there are no expectations!
Django Unchained
I am not a big Quentin Tarantino fan, but there is a certain energy to this movie that just captivates me. I cannot explain it. Plus, and this is what really is selling me on it, is that we have Leonardo DiCaprio (who, in my opinion, is probably the best actor of his generation) playing what appears to be a villain. To me, this is very against type, and, judging from the trailers, seems like the actor really throws himself into the role. I want to see that. Who wouldn’t?
Those are the movies I want to see. What about you? Sound off below! Since the winter movie season is so thick this year, maybe next week, I will do a five movies I have zero interest in seeing.
~N
Friday Five: New TV Shows (Fall 2012 Edition)
Posted by on September 14, 2012
The TV season is just about to start up this fall. With it, we have a slate of new shows, hoping to grab viewers’ attention. I am not as big of a TV watcher now as I was when I was younger, but even I cannot escape the promotion of some of the bigger shows coming at us. This week’s Friday Five, I am going to throw down my thoughts on some of the new series (one from each of the major networks).
Last Resort (ABC)
This show looks absolutely ridiculously. Even though it sports a fantastic cast (Andre Braugher, Robert Patrick) and headed by Shawn Ryan (The Shield), I cannot get over how stupid its premise is. From what I understand, a US Navy nuclear submarine refuses an order to wipe out Pakistan and the crew is judged enemy of the state (insert conspiracy angle). The logical solution? Invade an island, set up shop as a rogue nation, and declare hostilities against the United States. Even if the crew of the sub are indeed innocent, they are actively committing treason. How can they realistically come back from that? I know, I know…watch the show. It is so nonsensical. If something like that really happened, I would guess the US government would SEAL Team 6 that island.
Silly premise aside, how long can they stretch a story like this out? Like Prison Break a few years back, it does not seem like it can support a multi-year storyline. I think it is safe to say that I am going to pass on it.
Arrow (CW)
It is Green Arrow done in the style of The Dark Knight. Honestly, I can see this working. And, since Green Arrow is, basically, a knock-off of Batman to begin with, this seems like a natural style for the series. The show looks fun too. Early reports have the series showcasing various other characters from the DC universe. It seems like the series is taking some cues from Smallville and using what worked and steering clear of what did not. I am not surprised that CW is pushing forward with this show. Smallville was a success for them, and with Green Arrow becoming a popular character on that series, his own series is the next logical step (note: this is not a Smallville spin-off). While I do not call myself a Green Arrow fan, I will be there for the Arrow’s opening night.
Revolution (NBC)
I am not sure what to make of this show. It has a very interesting premise: what happens if all electricity/technology is shut off overnight? What will society be like a few years down the road? What will humans do when forced to survive? This premise has near-limitless possibilities. Overseen by JJ Abrams, Bryan Burk, and Eric Kripke (and I guess Jon Favreau is somehow involved), the show is in capable hands. The one down side is that previous shows by Abrams and Burk have floundered due to not having a clear goal in mind with the story arc. Hopefully, with Kripke being the exact opposite of that, the series will not fall into the trap. Also potentially hurting the series is that it is expensive to produce. If the ratings are not there, NBC is not going to justify keeping it around (see Terra Nova). The premise looks intriguing, but I think this one will be a “wait for the DVD” show.
Elementary (CBS)
It is an adaptation of an adaptation. Heavily inspired by England’s Sherlock, this modern retelling of Sherlock Holmes looks fun and engaging. There has been some online criticism due to this being an adaptation of said BBC series. The fact that the show has a cult following does not help matters. However, it seems very clear that while Elementary is taking cues from Sherlock, it is also doing its own thing. The biggest changes are that Dr. Watson is now a woman (played by Lucy Liu) and that the action has been transferred to New York City (don’t worry, Sherlock Holmes is still British).
I am up for this kind of revisionist storytelling. I do not care if it was based on a British show which was, let’s face it, barely seen in the US. What will make or break this series will be the chemistry between Liu and Jonny Lee Miller (Sherlock). CBS usually has a solid track record when it comes to casting these kinds of procedurals, so I feel confident the show will deliver. I will check out the first episode and see where it goes from there.
The Mindy Project (FOX)
I will be upfront and say it: this show is not for me. I do not get why people like Mindy Kaling. She is okay in small doses, but I find her largely obnoxious. Perhaps it is more her character on The Office who I cannot stand. However, this upcoming show spotlighting her just seems like she is playing the exact same character only now, more man-obsessed (because, you know, that’s all women are, right?*). Only now, we get to follow her around all day long! Ugh. Plus, I question if Mindy Kaling can carry a series. Is she really that popular or is a case of a network spinning? I am not sure.
I was talking to my friend Sharon (who’s judgment I tend to trust when it comes to movies and such), and she is really looking forward to this show. I was surprised, but it is more likely that I am just so far removed from being in the target demographic I do not even realize it. I am going to give this a pass and let whoever likes it to like it.
So, what do you think of these new shows?
~N
* That was sarcasm. Don’t jump down my throat.
The Friday Five: 5 Actors for Expendables 3
Posted by on September 7, 2012
The recent action ensemble hits The Expendables and The Expendables 2 reunited several heavyweight 1980s and 90s action stars to worldwide success. Seeing names like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Willis, and Van Damme in the same series of movies was a novel and interesting approach for writer/director/star Stallone and his production team. Though Expendables 2 has lagged somewhat in domestic box office, international receipts will likely be higher for the superior second film, and The Expendables 3 will almost assuredly show up in theaters in the next couple of years. The big question on my mind is who will show up in the third film? Today’s Friday Five features five actors who I would personally love to see in The Expendables 3. Let us know in the comments who you would like to see as well.
5. Nicolas Cage
The Case for Cage:
Cage, who hasn’t anchored a hit film in a half decade or so, seems stuck in direct-to-DVD purgatory, with features like Seeking Justice and Trespass premiering on on-demand movie sites and showing up on store shelves in Target and Wal-Mart, bound for the bargain bin. Cage could use a hit, and an appearance in The Expendables 3 would be a high profile way to tether himself to a profitable franchise once again. Cage initially rose to prominence in the mid-90s for his dramatic roles, but his action films, such as Con Air and Face/Off are truly stupendous films, well-remembered for their Caginess in particular. Nic would make a great villain in part three, facing off against Stallone as a more cerebral, psychological villain than Van Damme’s awesome Vilain character in part two. Rumors so far have Cage signed on to appear in the third film, so hopefully he’s able to follow through and give us some of that Cage craziness we all root for.
Choice Cage Action Flicks: Con Air, Face/Off, The Rock
4. Carl Weathers
Predicting the Weathers:
Weathers is perhaps best known to younger audiences for his hilarious self-parody on Fox’s Arrested Development (or maybe for his equally funny turn in Happy Gilmore), but action aficionados may best remember Weathers from films such as The Predator (where he played Dillon) and Death Hunt, opposite Charles Bronson. A Weathers appearance in Expendables 3 would mean he could reunite with his Predator co-star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as with Sylvester Stallone, whom he memorably squared off against in Rocky, arguably the greatest sports movie of all time. Their rivalry could continue through the same menacing, glowering looks and homo-erotic subtext that filled their first collaborations decades ago. Perhaps Weathers could play the father to Terry Crews’ Hale Caesar character, with the two teaming up for the most awesome on-screen father and son match-up of all time. I’d watch that.
Choice Weathers Film Roles: Death Hunt, Rocky series, The Predator
3. Bill Paxton
Picking Paxton:
People forget that Bill Paxton appeared in some pretty iconic 80s and 90s action movies, including Aliens and True Lies (both directed by James Cameron). In more recent times, Paxton is known for playing the lead character in the HBO drama Big Love, where he earned much critical acclaim. A role in The Expendables 3 would allow Paxton to get back to his sleazy, smarmy action roots. Like Carl Weathers, he would also get a chance to reunite with Schwarzenegger and play off of him like the two did so well in True Lies (where Paxton played a sleazy used car salesman). Paxton would be perfect as a rival CIA agent to Bruce Willis’ character, Mr. Church. Perhaps a showdown between Paxton and Willis would occur as well. John McClane versus Private Hudson: wouldn’t that be awesome? Paxton’s douche-bag act has plenty of good potential to play well against the no-nonsense regular cast, so some sort of supporting villain role would be great for him, possibly as an insane number two to Nicolas Cage’s even more insane number one.
Choice Paxton Scumbag Roles: True Lies (where he really is the ultimate scumbag), Aliens, Near Dark
2. Carla Gugino
Calling Carla:
Carla Gugino is probably best known to audiences for her frequent collaborations with filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. Throughout her career she has consistently appeared in gritty action films and interesting genre fare like Sin City, Faster, and American Gangster. She earned much credibility with her performance as Sally Jupiter in the Watchmen adaptation, a film much better than its reputation on the internet would suggest. Gugino, who is of Italian descent, would fit right in amongst the mostly-male cast of Expendables co-stars. She would be a great female counterpart to Stallone, and perhaps even a love interest for his battle-hardened Barney Ross character (while also being somewhat age-appropriate for the aging Sly!). Gugino can more than hold her own as an action star and tough gal (too bad her short lived Karen Sisco show never took off – I thought it was pretty great), and would potentially bring appeal to an even wider audience. The Expendables 2 largely used Yu Nan correctly, foregoing the typical Whedonesque female characters found in a glut of boring Hollywood projects in favor of a far more believable ass-kicker. Gugino would get the chance to go toe to toe with the big guys and look realistic doing it.
Choice Gugino Film Appearances: Sin City, Snake Eyes, Faster
1. Michael Caine
Bringing the Caine:
Whaaaat? Michael Caine?! I know what you might be thinking, but Caine, best known more recently for his supporting roles in Christopher Nolan films (Alfred in Nolan’s Batman universe, Leo’s father in Inception), was at one time the go-to actor for tough guy roles in genre films. I would love to see a return to form for Caine, who is an absolute legend in the industry and would bring his highly respected pedigree to the Expendables franchise. Back in the 60s and 70s, Caine starred in The Italian Job (a Hollywood remake would later star The Expendables own Jason Statham) as well as the proto-exploitation film Get Carter (which inspired a critically devastated Stallone remake). Why not go back to the source and just cast Caine for a third iteration? He’s been an on-screen bad-ass for 50 years, and he can still do it! A few years ago, Caine appeared in a Death Wish-esque film called Harry Brown, where he attempted to clean the mean streets of a roughshod London neighborhood with as much violence as possible. The film, though not widely screened in America, was both gritty and suspenseful. Cain could bring his noteworthy British intensity to a third Expendables film, and we’d all be better off for it.
Choice Cain Bad-Ass Movies: Get Carter, Harry Brown, The Man Who Would Be King
Honorable Mentions: Michael Biehn, Vernon Wells, Gina Carano, Tom “Tiny” Lister, Jr., Jeff Speakman, Robin Shou
Who are your choices for The Expendables 3? Sound off in the comments!
-Z-
The Friday Five: Sword and Sandals Edition
Posted by on August 24, 2012
We live in a pretty decent Sword and Sandals era when you really think about it. We’re fortunate, being that for a period of about five years or so we got very little. After Troy, Alexander, and Kingdom of Heaven all disappointed in theaters in 2004 and 2005 (though I personally found each one interesting in its own way), it seemed we might never again get the big-budget Sword and Sandals epics we once got. The past few years, however, have seen a glut of epic fantasy films that could all fall within this wide sub-genre. Today’s installment of The Friday Five will feature five recent films, film franchises, or television shows, most of which that have seen success, be it critical or commercial or both, in the classic Sword and Sandals tradition.
Centurion (2010)
Michael Fassbender hadn’t had much exposure prior to 2009’s Inglorious Basterds, where he played multi-lingual, ill-fated British officer Lt. Archie Hickox. His first starring role intended for a wide audience would come in 2010’s Centurion, a Roman Empire-set tale of a small group of soldiers attempting to outwit and escape a roving band of merciless Scottish barbarians (known at the time as the Pict people – an ethnic group that has not survived into the modern age).
Filmed on a minuscule budget of 16 million (and really looking like it), Centurion was not a commercial success, but critics enjoyed the survival-based action/adventure. Fassbender is magnificent as Quintus Dias, the titular Centurion who must lead his war-torn men back to Roman territory. Also great is Liam Cunningham, who has really found success lately in films like War Horse (and who will also reappear on this list). Former Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko shows up to menace our Roman heroes and she is one of the absolute best portrayals of a female in an action role in years. It is important to note that Neil Marshall, he of The Descent and Doomsday fame, is the director, meaning Centurion is thrilling, violent, bloody, and exciting.
Clash of the Titans/Wrath of the Titans (2010, 12)
I wasn’t a big fan of the Clash of the Titans remake initially, but I grew to actually kind of like it when I re-watched it on home video. The sequel, released earlier this year, is not nearly as good (and might be the worst film I’ve seen in theaters in 2012 thus far). Both were commercial successes for Warner Bros. (Wrath not as much as Clash) and both are definitely of the Sword and Sandals mold. Hollywood/Australian everyman Sam Worthington plays Perseus, the half-man/half-god hybrid and our reluctant hero. Both movies see him on a quest to retrieve a MacGuffin, and in both films he must face his demons, overcome his obstacles, and save all of Greece from supernatural terrors.
These are not great movies by any stretch, but there is something charming in just how serious they take themselves. I am reminded of the original Clash of the Titans, as well as other Harryhausen creature-features (Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts, etc), in that the material is taken wholly at face-value, and thus has a kind of unintentional camp aesthetic. Though the first Clash does have its attempts at humor (the discarded Bubo the owl prop), it is mostly taken exceedingly seriously. The second ups this, with nary a humorous break outside of Toby Kebbell’s comic relief as the half-man son of Poseidon. They might not be a great pair of films, but they have their value and I accept them as worthy additions to a sub-genre I love so much.
Game of Thrones (2011-)
Game of Thrones took most of the internet by storm during its first season back in the spring of 2011. The second season caused an even bigger internet disturbance during its even better second go ‘round earlier this year. I have no doubt that the internet will collapse in on itself like a dying supernova when the third season premiers next March. A high fantasy tale of murder, intrigue, vengeance, and all of those great attributes of any solid Sword and Sandals property, Game of Thrones is legitimately great entertainment.
The strongest part of the show may be its talented cast. Liam Cunning, mentioned earlier in this article and a key addition to the second season, is one of the best characters on television. Also great are Stephen Dillane, portraying the draconic Stannis Baratheon, the great Charles Dance as the patriarch of the Lannister family, and Peter Dinkage as Dance’s son Tyrion, who should just be automatically given an Emmy every year. The sheer amount of talent on the cast side is unprecedented for a television show. I must also give props to the fantastic set design. Locales have a certain lived-in look, as if the interior sets of the castles had actually been in use for thousands of years. Directors of the series, including the previously mentioned Neil Marshall, have also done great work. Game of Thrones is simply one of the best, most entertaining shows on television.
Immortals (2011)
I am always going to be interested in any project Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) works on. I am intrigued by his keen visual style and unique approach to the director’s chair. In 2011’s Immortals, Henry Cavill stars as Theseus, a Greek warrior trained by Zeus to protect innocent citizens from the wrath of the evil King Hyperion (a menacing, scenery chewing Mickey Rourke). Also featuring Freida Pinto and Stephen Dorff (who is still unbelievably in this 30s), Immortals is a Sword and Sandals epic worth watching for the interesting cinematography and insane performances alone.
Immortals is not a great movie; in fact, it is incredibly dumb. It looks absolutely beautiful though. It also has one of the most interesting portrayals of the gods I’ve yet seen in a film. Played by such actors as Kellen Lutz (Twilight) and Isabel Lucas (Transformers 2, The Pacific), the god characters in Immortals look as if they were superheroes, wearing brilliant golden armor and moving like the Flash or Superman. This, coupled with an absolutely crazy performance by Mickey Rourke (who really needs to be in every movie), kept my interest throughout the film’s too long 110 minute running time. It should be noted that this film was shot in 3D, but I watched it on Netflix so I cannot comment on the quality of the 3D like I would under normal circumstances.
The Eagle (2011)
Telling, in some ways, essentially the same story as Centurion, The Eagle is the story of an injured young Roman soldier (Channing Tatum), who returns north of Hadrian’s Wall to recapture the Eagle standard of the doomed Ninth Roman Legion, which had been captured in a previous battle by barbarians. Along with his best friend/slave (Jamie Bell) and a former Ninth soldier (Mark Strong, actually not playing a bad guy this time), Tatum must brave the harsh weather of northern England, the vicious barbarian tribes, and his own ravaging injury to restore honor to the famous-but-ill-fated Ninth Roman Legion.
The Eagle is interesting to me in that it is a more sanitized version of the same story as Centurion. The Eagle has its fair share of swordplay and violence, but it was obviously meant for a broader audience. Directed by Kevin MacDonald (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play), The Eagle is also ponderous and plodding compared to the other films on this list. Though praised by Roger Ebert (who gave it 3 out of 4 stars), other critics found MacDonald’s work to be unemotional and uninspiring. For what it’s worth, however, my brother absolutely loves this movie. I can get behind it too, if only for its talented principle cast and the fact that it falls into a subgenre I love ever so much. It remains the least interesting choice on this list though.
-Z-
The Friday Five (It’s baaaack!)
Posted by on August 10, 2012
This week on the Friday Five, I’m going to talk about five movies that should have been disappointments, but weren’t. So often, I go into movies with either the highest of the high or the lowest of the low in terms of expectations. The “high” movies often end up disappointing me, while I consistently enjoy the “low” movies. I’m hoping to explore why this happens to me, so let’s get going!
Push (2009)
I have championed this movie for over three years at this point. I have podcasted on it. I have written extensively on it. I pretty much make all my friends watch it if they haven’t seen it yet. Push should have been an absolutely terrible movie, but ended up being quite entertaining. It is the movie that inspired me to write up this list. It is a movie I had absolutely zero expectation that I’d enjoy, and yet I love it. I have no idea what to call this, so I think I’m going to just label it as the “Push phenomenon.”
There is legitimately a lot to like in this movie, and I think what I like the best of all are the performances, which surprises me even as I write this. Chris Evans, playing a dislocated loner in Hong Kong, is effective in the lead role. His painfully morose demeanor comes through perfectly. Anyone who has ever experienced what it means to be an ex-pat might be able to accurately sum up how he feels and what he goes through. Dakota Fanning, long the champion of child actors, is also entertaining as a kind of bizarrely-precocious-but-not-in-an-irritating-kind-of-way character. Villains, including underrated character actor Djimon Honsou and Neil Jackson (Quantum of Solace, White Collar) are actually menacing and terrifying, something I find lacking from villains in modern movies. Push also features a variety of character actors including Cliff Curtis, Ming Na, Nate Mooney, and Joel Gretsch.
Push is also helped by its guerilla-style filmmaking, which is fascinating in and of itself. It’s almost as if Hong Kong had no idea that director Paul McGuigan was even making a movie at all. McGuigan’s effective use of on-location shooting and Hong Kong martial arts movie-style sets are also welcomed. Music is another strongpoint in the film, with a pseudo-electric score that is both memorable and interesting. The story/plot might as well be hot garbage, but the film has enough going for it (and also has enough fun despite its more serious tendencies) that I almost don’t mind. I’m really glad I took a chance on a one-dollar Redbox Rental way back in the summer of 2009.
The A-Team (2010)
Joe Carnahan, prior to The A-Team, seemed to be a love-him-or-hate-him director. His previous films, including 2006’s Smoking Aces, were either strongly liked or very strongly disliked amongst circles I run in. While I found Smoking Aces to be a fun movie with a few delightful performances, I legitimately *hated* The A-Team when I first saw it in early 2011 (I skipped the theatrical run entirely). And then, about a year ago or so, I found myself in a Liam Neeson mood, but too burned out by Taken (which could easily go on this list) and a few others to give them yet another spin. There was The A-Team, however, just kind of staring at me from far away, and for reasons still unknown, I gave it another shot.
Turns out, I’m glad I did. On second viewing, The A-Team somehow turned into an incredible, indescribable action experience. I find this film to be the most purely entertaining summer blockbuster of the 2010s thus far (yes, even more entertaining than either The Avengers or The Dark Knight Rises – I’m cutting this argument off at the head). Neeson, Cooper, and Sharlto Copley are brilliant (I’m more divided on Quinton Jackson – he’s just a guy) in their roles. The villains (Patrick Wilson, Brian Bloom) are absolutely compelling and menacing without being entirely campy (a Carnahan hall mark). Even the tacked on love story isn’t that bad (considering Jessica Biel, who I normally dislike, openly shoots her gun at love-interest Cooper I’d say it’s better and more entertaining than a typical Kathryn Heigl romance). If by chance you skipped this one because previews and trailers were dumb, or because you’re burned out on remakes (I understand this), I highly recommend you check it out now.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Rupert Wyatt’s 2011 meditation on man’s inhumanity towards animals and whatnot, had every single reason to end up terrible. A reboot to a beloved but ultimately cheesy 70s product, Rise seemed to not feature any of the things that made the originals the “classics” they are in the first place. The dreary, emotionally heavy tone conveyed throughout probably didn’t seem like it would work either. And yet, Rise of the Planet of the Apes turned out to not only be 2011’s best summer movie, but perhaps one of the best movies of 2011 period.
Featuring a brilliant mo-cap performance from Andy Serkis (the king of mo-cap performances indeed), Rise is the story of brilliant researcher and scientist James Franco (who is actually not bad as a scientist, not entirely believable but not bad) who takes in a young chimpanzee after its mother is killed in a laboratory accident. The chimp, named Caesar, shows signs of being highly intelligent and develops much faster than a typical ape, or even a growing human child, would. When circumstances force Caesar into a living in a corrupt, cruel animal shelter, he eventually strikes back in glorious, entertaining, and even horrifying spectacle. Total chaos then ensues, in the best way imaginable.
What I like about Rise of the Planet of the Apes is that it brought back the “theater experience” for me in a big way. Watching Rise, I felt a collective audience experience, and also felt surprised by what I was watching for the first time in a long time. Having recently re-watched it on Blu Ray, the experience holds up entirely. It also helps that Serkis, as well as the team of SFX experts obviously, bring Caesar to life in the way few actors could ever bring a character to screen. I almost wish this film hadn’t lead to Fox green-lighting sequels. I don’t know how a sequel could possibly live up to how awesome Rise of the Planet of the Apes is.
Tron: Legacy (2010)
Positioned to be the next Avatar, Tron: Legacy entered theaters in December 2010, where it was a moderate box office hit for Disney. Despite not being the enormous hit the Mouse House bean-counters probably expected, the film still left enough of an impression on me that I revisit it once or twice a year. There was a lot of contention over the production of this film behind the scenes, and the final product is a bit janky. Tron: Legacy however is also visually stunning, having some of the most effective special effects I’ve ever seen in a movie. The Grid, presented gloriously in 3D, is a joy to look at, as are the light-bikes, flying contraptions, and other nifty gadgets presented throughout the film. The costuming department deserves credit as well, but the biggest kudos go to the sound/music. The sound effects are absolutely stunning, and the film has the best original score (famously contributed by Daft Punk) of any film from 2010 that isn’t The Social Network.
I know a lot of people that walked out of Tron: Legacy disappointed by what they had seen, and the film has its share of plot holes, inconsistencies, and internal logic/world-building issues. But I was able to look past these and enjoy Tron: Legacy as pure spectacle. At one point during the movie, I turned to my girlfriend and said, “That was AWESOME” during an action sequence. Though the lead actor, Garrett Hedlund, might as well be Blandy McBlanderson, Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde, and Michael Sheen (in a glorious extended cameo) are all entertaining. I also love that they brought back Bruce Boxleitner (Ahh, Boxleitner!), even if it was only momentarily.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
I had almost every reason to hate Scott Pilgrim before I had even seen it. Based off a mega-popular Canadian comic, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is filled with cloying, obnoxious video game in-jokes, hipster sentimentalities, annoyingly hyper-kinetic performances, and worst of all, Michael Cera. Once an actor I used to enjoy, Cera became completely insufferable somewhere around the time Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist was released and has never quite returned from the realm of over-exposure. And yet, despite my embarrassment at some portions of the final product, I actually enjoyed Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World quite a bit.
I found some of my criticisms of the hipster aesthetic behind Scott Pilgrim to be disarmed almost right away. Cera plays Scott with a sort of early 90s slacker, Gen X mentality rather than as the complete hipster douche I expected, which helps a lot. Supporting characters (as well as brilliant cameos) surrounding Cera are strong as well, and contributed to my enjoyment of the film. Actors such as Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, Brandon Routh, Thomas Jane (Homeless Dad himself!), Clifton Collins, and Jason Schwartzman pop up in this film. The best performance, however, is from Chris Evans, playing the type of role he was absolutely born to play.
The work behind the scenes for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, notably from director Edgar Wright, screenwriter Michael Bacall, narrator Bill Hader, and editors Jonathon Amos and Paul Machliss also elevate the source material. The direction and editing in Scott Pilgrim may be some of the most creative work done in a film this side of a David Fincher property. The soundtrack is also strong, with original music contributed to by Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich among many notable others. There are still moments in Scott Pilgrim that I find to be absolutely cringe-worthy (the Indian boyfriend with the devil girls, for example, is embarrassingly stupid), but the overall product ended up being something of a surprise to me.
-Z-
Friday Five: Five Stars the Internet Likes to Beat Up (Which I Don’t Understand)
Posted by on June 8, 2012
The internet has a tendency to rally around various celebrities and speak of them as if they can do no wrong. They might even be awarded “Passes for Life” which Zack and I discussed about a year ago. People like Joss Whedon and Christopher Nolan seem to fall into the category. Then, there is the opposite, where the internet tends to heap large amounts of hate onto various celebrities. Sometimes it is understandable (Kardashian clan, I am looking at you). However, most of the time, it is completely bizarre and arbitrary. It gets to the point where I simply don’t understand why people on the ‘net like to beat up on them. So, the topic of this week’s Friday Five is:
“Five Stars the Internet Likes to Beat Up (Which I Don’t Understand)”
Channing Tatum (GI Joe, The Vow, 21 Jump Street)
He seems to be a relatively rising star and already he’s hated on. Why? I’ll admit, he hasn’t had a stellar filmography thus far, but he is usually pretty solid in the flicks I’ve seen him in. He can do action pretty well, he has solid leading-man looks, and has recently shown a flair for comedy (which I hope he continues with). Yet, the Internet says he sucks. Personally, I like him. I don’t mind seeing him in things. Some complain that he can be a bit of a wooden actor. That is fair, I suppose. He strikes me as an actor that either needs a lot of direction or needs to really fit a role to pull it off successfully. In short, he isn’t a bad actor. If you want to see a truly bad actor, go watch The Room. You’ll have plenty to choose from.
Shia LeBouf (Transformers, Indiana Jones 4, Disturbia)
People love to crap on him. Why? I’ll grant you that he largely does the same sort of roles (though, it appears he is trying to stretch his wings with the upcoming Lawless) with his characters all having that manic, geeky shtick. It works, and, I feel, viewers can relate to him as he plays a loveable dork. I think he’s fun to watch. Plus, I’ve gotten multiple first-hand accounts that LeBouf is incredibly fan friendly by going up to people, shaking hands, and appearing genuinely grateful for their support. For me, that goes a long way. I have a theory on why LeBouf gets hated on by the internet: many of his characters are a variation of the nerdy fanboy who goes on a fantasy adventure and gets the hot girl in the end. I would bet most who complain about LeBouf fall into that nerdy fanboy crowd and are fueled by jealousy. Am I stereotyping? Perhaps, but does that make me wrong?
Megan Fox (Transformers, Jennifer’s Body, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People)
LeBouf’s Transformers co-star also gets dumped on by the internet. This one always perplexes me. She isn’t a bad actress (though, I can’t deny, she does tend to pick bad movies). I was surprised when I went back and re-watched the first Transformers movie a few months back. It was the first time I saw it since 2007. Fox did pretty well with the material she was given. She wasn’t wooden and came off as very natural. The few other things I’ve seen her in featured her really throwing herself into her roles. I particularly loved how she sent-up her media image in How to Lose Friends…, especially when it veered into a darker twist. She needs to do more stuff that can actually show off her acting chops. My theory on why people love to loath her is two-fold: 1) guys who hate her do so because she ends up with Shia LeBouf in Transformers. The whole jealousy thing. 2) Girls who hate her do so because she’s pretty. End of story.
Kristen Stewart (Twilight, Runaways, Adventureland)
I guess I could have put the entire cast of Twilight down here. K-Stew (as Kyle, and now I, likes to call her) is a solid actress. Sure, she has that blank stare that she’s kind of become known for, but look at her filmography. It’s pretty good and mostly well-received. She does that angst thing well in the roles that she’s in without it being obnoxious. I like watching her in stuff. However, I think the only reason she is hated on is because she is in Twilight. That’s unfair, but then again, it’s “kewl” to dump on Twilight.
Tom Cruise (do I really need to put anything here?)
He jumps on Oprah’s couch. He’s a member of a religious with questionable practices. He married someone nearly half his age. Are these reasons to hate the guy? The correct answer is no. I fully think that Tom Cruise is awesome. I almost always enjoy the movies he’s in, and the ones I don’t have nothing to do with him. He is incredibly hard working, and always seems to be willing to try different things. He has little ego and doesn’t mind working with stars bigger than him (if anything, he seems to relish the opportunity to work with different people). He also seems, in interviews, to be a friendly and nice guy. I like him, and I’ll usually defend him when the basing begins. The world would be a lesser place if he stopped making movies.
~N
The Friday Five: Indie Video Games
Posted by on May 10, 2012
*Updated, Spring 2013
In the past few years online gaming services like PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, the Apple App Store, and Steam have helped give rise to a number of excellent independent video games (many of which are also highly affordable). It might even be fair to say these services have saved the independent game developer, as development costs have steadily raised into the tens of millions of dollars during the PS3/Wii/Xbox 360 era. It isn’t uncommon for a triple-A or holiday release title to cost perhaps twenty million dollars or so to develop. Additionally, as development cycles become longer and longer (averaging about two years for most Triple-A titles), costs also rise exponentially for developers.
Independent games require fewer developers and studios can bypass standard means of production (including foregoing selling in brick-and-mortar stores altogether), costs can be significantly reduced at the developmental stage. This has helped lead to a boom in independent gaming in the current era. I personally began delving into independent titles about three years back. I discovered a considerable number og great games at relatively low cost, my favorite of which I have decided to assemble here. The following list is by no means a “best of” compilation. It is merely an attempt to help raise awareness of some great independent games I have played over the last few years.
5. Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP (2011)
Superbrothers looks a ton like an old Atari 2600 adventure game and plays like a PC adventure title from the late 80s. Players point-and-click their way through the game as the Scythian, a female adventurer who must battle demons and solve puzzles to save the forest. The game, as noted, has a highly old-school aesthetic. The music and the story, however, reflect what is currently popular among gamers, including some great work on the soundtrack (composed by Jim Guthrie) and cool gameplay concepts, such as interacting with the game’s environment through touches and taps. One of the coolest features is that real-world time also has an effect on certain moments in the game.
The game also contains some pretty great self-referential humor which is done without being too ironic or winking at the audience too much (which is appreciated). Upon my initial play-through in 2011, I was blown away. I hadn’t been sucked into an adventure game like this in years (maybe not since The Last Express in 1997!). The game is just so unbelievably beautiful to see in motion. Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery is available on the App Store and has also been released for the PC. The best way to play this game, however, is on the iPad, due to the excellent touch screen controls (the right mouse button attempts to duplicate the experience somewhat on the PC, but isn’t quite as good). I recommend playing with a nice set of headphones on as well to get completely lost in the experience.
4. Super Stardust HD (2007)
Sometimes I like to just pick up a game and play away. Sometimes I just want to blow things up with the least possible input from a story. Super Stardust HD allows me to do just that, and I am grateful for it. Released onto the PlayStation Network in 2007, developer Housemarque’s twitch action title became a huge hit. SSHD plays a lot like a fantastic combination of classic arcade games Asteroid and Robotron: 2084. The game uses dual analog sticks to both fly around a small planet or planetary object and shoot at asteroids and enemies, alternating between red for fire power and blue for ice power. Bonuses, such as highly-effective bombs, shields, and other power-ups, are also available.
Super Stardust HD is an extremely simple and effective title, and it also looks fantastic on my 46” 3D Bravia television. In Winter 2012, Sony released a port of Super Stardust HD onto the PlayStation Vita system, which also plays extremely well. I actually prefer the handheld version over the console version, as the pick-up-and-play factor is even higher on that platform. This is not a particularly deep or involving game, but SSHD has an old-school charm and I am constantly going back to it time and time again. When I need a few mindless hours of twitch gameplay and space centipedes, I grab my Vita and go for it.
3. Limbo (2010)
Limbo is a black-and-white physics-based puzzle/platformer. Like Super Stardust HD, Limbo was developed by a European independent studio. The game was originally released exclusively for Xbox Live, but later found its way to both Steam and the PlayStation Network. It is also available on the Mac OS platform. Probably the most interest aspect of the game is in its art aesthetic. Limbo has an art style that has been compared favorably to German expressionism, and looks absolutely phenomenal. I never would have though a black-and-white title would be so compelling, but this one has proved so unique that other games have tried somewhat to ape its aesthetic (see: Escape Plan).
Limbo is the story of a boy who journeys into an almost solitary world, encountering very few people in a dark and mysterious forest. He must search the forest in order to find his missing sister, eventually reaching a devastated city. I recommend playing this game for the fantastic art style and for its similarity to classic fairy tales (there are obvious parallels with Hansel and Gretel) and a look that I can only describe as being expressionism meets film noir. I have no preference for platform for playing Limbo, but I have to imagine it is pretty cheap on Steam at the moment. Check it out where ever you can and as soon as you can – you won’t regret it.
2. Bastion (2011)
Considered one of the best games of 2011, Bastion is an independent video game developed by Supergiant games. Bastion is available via Xbox Live and for Windows-based computers through Steam. Interestingly enough, it was also developed for use on the Google Chrome browser, making it one of the first video games to be played on the Chrome platform. Like Limbo before it, Bastion has an incredibly memorable art style. The game’s environments look almost hand-painted. Bastion has also been highly praised for its music and use of voice-over narration.
Bastion is an action/RPG hybrid played from an isometric viewpoint. It is fantasy-themed, and its weapons, enemies, currency, etc. reflect and embrace that. Bastion is the story of “the kid”, who sets off for the Bastion (think of it as a kind of community center/safe zone) after a devastating, destructive event happens, destroying much of the known world. What I find interesting about this game is that its development team consisted of only seven people, which seems ludicrous in hindsight. I would recommend playing Bastion on the Google Chrome browser, just because I think it’s neat that its even on a browser to begin with.
1. Journey (2012)
Released in the spring of 2012, Journey is an adventure game developed by thatgamecompany (who also made Flower) exclusively for the PlayStation 3 system (it first appeared on PSN but was later available in retail as a disc-based title). Highly anticipated for at least two years, upon release Journey quickly became the fastest selling PSN game of all time. The game went on to win several end of year awards and even garnered a Grammy nomination, the first for music in a videogame. Though it is largely a minimalist game experience, Journey has won overwhelming praise from critics and gamers alike.
One of the most fascinating aspects of this game is its unique online multiplayer system. Journey features no voice communication between players, and names are not displayed above player-characters the way they would be in an online game such as Battlefield 3 or Call of Duty. Journey‘s focus on the anonymous works extremely well, adding to the mystery and minimalism of the game’s nature. Players pop in and out of each other’s games almost randomly and totally seamlessly. As for the story, Journey is light except for its main goal: the player must get to the beam of light at the top of a far off mountain. This is a beautiful game, from its brilliantly rendered sand to its unique coloration (the underground segment is absolutely gorgeous) to its fantastic, emotionally riveting soundtrack. I highly recommend checking Journey out. It is a fantastic experience that stands as one of the best games of its generation, independently developed or otherwise.
-Z-
Zack & Nick's Culture Cast 