Monday, February 09, 2004
Post-Ozzie Black Sabbath sounds an awful lot like Iron Maiden
No really, they do. Just listen to Mob Rules. It's a good album, but no Ozzie. In another bout of musical coincidence, I picked out a CD called Dawnrazor by a band called Fields of the Nephilim, and as it happens, the first track on the disc is called "Into (Harmonica Man)". This initially caused me some perplexment, since why does one need a sub-title to an intro track? But lo, it turns out that it's a cover of Charles Bronson's theme from Once Upon A Time In The West, which is way too cool for words. Just thought I'd bring it up.
Wouldn't it be neat if...
Someone made a decent space thriller? Like Alien, only modern, and scary. I mean, I love the movie, but it's definitely no longer a "horror" movie (more of just plain "sci-fi" now). Call me desensitized, but it just isn't exactly a nail-biter. I'm sure the rest of my generation would agree. No, what I propose is a movie that capitalizes on some of the real-life scary things about going into outer space. Things like decompression, extreme temperature changes, and the fact that to get from one place to the next, you have to cross really really REALLY HUGE empty spaces. The plot of this movie-idea-in-my-head would be set in the near future, on a small spaceship going to Alpha Centauri using a newly developed space motor (or engine, if you prefer). To make the drive work, suppose we need a long, torpedo shaped craft, not unlike a submarine or old-school Saturn V rocket. This could yield some really cool panic scenes, similar to Das Boot or other great sub movies. Maybe have something hit the ship on the way there (like a freak meteor or something) and they end up stranded between solar systems. Maybe make references to Apollo 13 or something, only they can't just do a lap around the moon and rocket on home. The crew would have all the requisite stereotypes at first, but it turns out they're quite unconventional (just to keep the audience on their toes). Maybe have the characters make smart decisions or something.
Something else that would be neat would be the artistic direction of the flick. Cardinal rule would have to be that there's no sound in space! Everything would be either deadly silent (so that if done right, you could hear the silent audience, clinging to the edge of their seats!) or set to the spacey music score that makes space seem so bloody big, like Homeworld did. I also see the interior of the rocket as being a cool white, with black highlights, and then when everything goes SNAFU the colors can reverse to make it black with blue or red or yellow highlights or something equally wacky. I don't know how it would end, but I don't know that the "everyone but one or two people dies and the survivors barely make it to the destination" would be appropriate. Maybe only have a couple of the crew die (through something stupid or just bad luck maybe?) but try to make those deaths profound or something.
Anyways, I would SO go see that if someone made it. Hollywood? You listening?
Games from the front
Well, just one game really. I finished ICO last night, and... wow. Just... wow. This game is superlative on a disc. The graphics, absolutely stellar when it came out, still look great, and the gameplay is just awesome. Safety Monkey wrote a review of it on the PA site here, and I agree wholeheartedly. I can't really think of anything that this game didn't do well, if not perfect, and in particular I am a huge fan of Yorda. Even though she talks in symbols, by the end of the game I felt I knew exactly what she was saying. Stick around after the credits too, as there's an interesting little twist put in that just might make a sequel work. (Not that it matters, since one's in the works anyways. Glee!)
I couldn't help notice that the newest Prince of Persia (a game I've previously raved about) takes many cues from Ico. So many, in fact, that it almost seems that Ubisoft wanted to make a spiritual successor to poor, forgotten, underappreciated Ico. I mean, look at the similarities:
- female sidekick that isn't as agile/mobile as you and that you have to help/defend
- wandering around a huge castle
- main character is capable of climbing walls, swinging on chains, jumping across gaps, etc (Ico can't do the ninja-stuff Prince can, but c'mon, he's just a kid!)
- lots and lots of similar enemies (Ico has as many enemies as I have toes on one foot, and Prince doesn't have too many more)
- spoiler-ful similarity here: the main character is separated from the sidekick at the end of the game and has to climb back up to her, and at the end they both get uber-swords that kill enemies in one hit
The list probably goes on... At any rate, if you have a PS2, or access to one, and want some really good games to play in the exploration-adventure genre, check both of these out.
Insert coin to continue
Oh how I want these shirts. Unfortunately, as I mentioned last post, I'm trying to not spend all my money, as I will need it very much in the fall. Still, don't be surprised if I start showing up wearing bizarre clothes talking about nonsensical internet and movie stuff.
Actually, don't comment on that.
For the inner skeptical cynic in all of us, it's the Skepdic! Actually, I'm quite interested in this link, as it manages to combine a rather large repository of information about the paranormal, as well as the psychology, logic, rhetoric and science used to defeat it. Go browse around and discover why Scientology is bogus!
Some rather interesting proposals from Alas, a blog regarding political reform in the States. I can't really comment in-depth here, since I'm only marginally familiar with the system down there, but I think some of these are just good ideas in general. Too bad they'll never be implemented.
So that's it for now. I have dishes to do, and tomorrow to fret about. Turns out I have a phone interview for a summer position with Research in Motion out here in Ottawa. Well, actually it's Nepean, so the commute will be killer, but the job sounds interesting and if the pay's good... I just may continue on at my present place of work though, as I'm under consideration for extension. Either way, I'll be staying out in our nation's capital for a while, so it's win-win for me! ¶ 4:47 p.m.
No really, they do. Just listen to Mob Rules. It's a good album, but no Ozzie. In another bout of musical coincidence, I picked out a CD called Dawnrazor by a band called Fields of the Nephilim, and as it happens, the first track on the disc is called "Into (Harmonica Man)". This initially caused me some perplexment, since why does one need a sub-title to an intro track? But lo, it turns out that it's a cover of Charles Bronson's theme from Once Upon A Time In The West, which is way too cool for words. Just thought I'd bring it up.
Wouldn't it be neat if...
Someone made a decent space thriller? Like Alien, only modern, and scary. I mean, I love the movie, but it's definitely no longer a "horror" movie (more of just plain "sci-fi" now). Call me desensitized, but it just isn't exactly a nail-biter. I'm sure the rest of my generation would agree. No, what I propose is a movie that capitalizes on some of the real-life scary things about going into outer space. Things like decompression, extreme temperature changes, and the fact that to get from one place to the next, you have to cross really really REALLY HUGE empty spaces. The plot of this movie-idea-in-my-head would be set in the near future, on a small spaceship going to Alpha Centauri using a newly developed space motor (or engine, if you prefer). To make the drive work, suppose we need a long, torpedo shaped craft, not unlike a submarine or old-school Saturn V rocket. This could yield some really cool panic scenes, similar to Das Boot or other great sub movies. Maybe have something hit the ship on the way there (like a freak meteor or something) and they end up stranded between solar systems. Maybe make references to Apollo 13 or something, only they can't just do a lap around the moon and rocket on home. The crew would have all the requisite stereotypes at first, but it turns out they're quite unconventional (just to keep the audience on their toes). Maybe have the characters make smart decisions or something.
Something else that would be neat would be the artistic direction of the flick. Cardinal rule would have to be that there's no sound in space! Everything would be either deadly silent (so that if done right, you could hear the silent audience, clinging to the edge of their seats!) or set to the spacey music score that makes space seem so bloody big, like Homeworld did. I also see the interior of the rocket as being a cool white, with black highlights, and then when everything goes SNAFU the colors can reverse to make it black with blue or red or yellow highlights or something equally wacky. I don't know how it would end, but I don't know that the "everyone but one or two people dies and the survivors barely make it to the destination" would be appropriate. Maybe only have a couple of the crew die (through something stupid or just bad luck maybe?) but try to make those deaths profound or something.
Anyways, I would SO go see that if someone made it. Hollywood? You listening?
Games from the front
Well, just one game really. I finished ICO last night, and... wow. Just... wow. This game is superlative on a disc. The graphics, absolutely stellar when it came out, still look great, and the gameplay is just awesome. Safety Monkey wrote a review of it on the PA site here, and I agree wholeheartedly. I can't really think of anything that this game didn't do well, if not perfect, and in particular I am a huge fan of Yorda. Even though she talks in symbols, by the end of the game I felt I knew exactly what she was saying. Stick around after the credits too, as there's an interesting little twist put in that just might make a sequel work. (Not that it matters, since one's in the works anyways. Glee!)
I couldn't help notice that the newest Prince of Persia (a game I've previously raved about) takes many cues from Ico. So many, in fact, that it almost seems that Ubisoft wanted to make a spiritual successor to poor, forgotten, underappreciated Ico. I mean, look at the similarities:
- female sidekick that isn't as agile/mobile as you and that you have to help/defend
- wandering around a huge castle
- main character is capable of climbing walls, swinging on chains, jumping across gaps, etc (Ico can't do the ninja-stuff Prince can, but c'mon, he's just a kid!)
- lots and lots of similar enemies (Ico has as many enemies as I have toes on one foot, and Prince doesn't have too many more)
- spoiler-ful similarity here: the main character is separated from the sidekick at the end of the game and has to climb back up to her, and at the end they both get uber-swords that kill enemies in one hit
The list probably goes on... At any rate, if you have a PS2, or access to one, and want some really good games to play in the exploration-adventure genre, check both of these out.
Insert coin to continue
Oh how I want these shirts. Unfortunately, as I mentioned last post, I'm trying to not spend all my money, as I will need it very much in the fall. Still, don't be surprised if I start showing up wearing bizarre clothes talking about nonsensical internet and movie stuff.
Actually, don't comment on that.
For the inner skeptical cynic in all of us, it's the Skepdic! Actually, I'm quite interested in this link, as it manages to combine a rather large repository of information about the paranormal, as well as the psychology, logic, rhetoric and science used to defeat it. Go browse around and discover why Scientology is bogus!
Some rather interesting proposals from Alas, a blog regarding political reform in the States. I can't really comment in-depth here, since I'm only marginally familiar with the system down there, but I think some of these are just good ideas in general. Too bad they'll never be implemented.
So that's it for now. I have dishes to do, and tomorrow to fret about. Turns out I have a phone interview for a summer position with Research in Motion out here in Ottawa. Well, actually it's Nepean, so the commute will be killer, but the job sounds interesting and if the pay's good... I just may continue on at my present place of work though, as I'm under consideration for extension. Either way, I'll be staying out in our nation's capital for a while, so it's win-win for me! ¶ 4:47 p.m.
