Yes, like everyone else on this planet, I’m playing Grand Theft Auto V, and frankly, having an absolute blast. I could just drive around Los Santos for hours and hours and hours… (and yes, even cycling is super fun).
Month: September 2013
Beware the Batman
I hadn’t heard of this show and just happened to come across a clip, and so decided to check it out. I’m really in love with the visuals – it’s animated in CG, but still has designs that aren’t that far off from the classic Bruce Timm look we’re used to seeing with animated Batman. I’ve only watched the first 2 episodes so far (there are 9 out), and I’m definitely interested in watching more.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
OK, silly title aside – Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as opposed to who’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? – I thought the first episode was pretty good. It was funnier than I expected – some nice Whedonisms – and, come on, who’s not going to watch a show with a flying car?
After Earth
Came at this with extremely low expectations, considering I’d heard nothing particularly good about it, and now I know why. It starts off good, I liked the setup, the world they inhabit, the tech designs. Then you meet Will Smith’s character, an absolute bore. Smith Jr. is more just annoying than boring, and so it was hard to find much enjoyment in what was happening. I liked bits here and there, but for the most part this is a pass.
Final Fantasy XIV
I love this game so much. Sure, I was frustrated during the first weeks because of the issues with the servers, not being able to get on to play, but things are normal now, and it’s a joy to hop in and have some adventures in this world. I’m also lucky that I have a lot of friends playing this, and so it’s going to be fun teaming up in the future for the big battles. This is my first real MMO experience – I played a tiny bit of WoW quite a while ago, but got out because I didn’t want to invest more time into it. I also love that I’m playing this on the PS3 – I still don’t quite like playing games on my Mac as much as on my consoles (home and portable).
This Is the End
Holy shit did I ever laugh my head off while watching this – one of the funniest flicks I’ve watched in a while. Sure, it’s puerile as hell, but oh-so-much fun. The Franco/McBride argument about jerking off had me in tears. Sure, there’s also the fact that I like all of these people in the first place (well, their movies at least). Oh, and Michael Cera in this. Priceless.
Trance
It was such a chore watching this. I wanted to give up so many times, but hung in there as I was hoping that the ending would present an interesting twist, and it did do that. But even with that, I can’t really recommend this. Consider this a Boyle miss.
The Bling Ring
Not to say it’s awful, but definitely my least favorite Sofia Coppola film – yes, I liked Marie Antoinette more than this. Felt bored through most of it. When it comes to the “kids doing bad things” category, I much preferred Spring Breakers.
I Am Street Fighter
Of all the video game genres, fighting is the one I tend to steer clear of, but I’m still fascinated by the culture that surrounds fighting games – EVO and the like – and this is a fantastic portrayal of the community that exists around the Street Fighter franchise (and fighting games in general). I loved the interview bits with Yu Suzuki, especially is proclamation towards the end of the #1 and #2 fighting game franchises. Definitely one to watch, and it couldn’t be easier to do so – the entire film is available for free on YouTube (I watched it last night through Apple TV).
World War Z
Ended up really liking this. It really is unrelenting, and often found myself thinking, well this is it, there’s no way out of this one. I also like how it ends, with signs of hope, but not of complete resolution (no “all’s well that ends well”).