Archives for the Month of March 2009 on media addict
Fable 2: Knothole Island DLC
The Knothole Island expansion for Fable 2 is a solid addition to a fantastic game. The expansion adds a series of quests relating to solving the weather problems of the new region as well as some new collection achievements. Knothole Island also features some new weapons, clothing, and potions to augment your character.
It took me around 5 hours to play through all of the new quests and collect all of the new items. For $10 I thought this was a fair amount of content for the price. Like most of Fable 2, the best parts of Knothole Island are the interesting asides and characters you encounter, not necessarily the main quest. If you liked Fable 2 I can definitely recommend this expansion and I look forward to the next expansion that appears be coming soon.
Battlestar Galactica
With the finale of Battlestar Galactica I felt like sharing my opinions on the show. I was a late comer, having watched seasons 1-3 on DVD during the hiatus between seasons 3 and 4. Ultimately I feel that BSG is a disappointment. For me the first two seasons were incredibly strong because I really enjoyed the action-adventure aspect of the show. Following the Galactica's journey as it fought for survival in spite of infighting and political intrigue was fantastic. I couldn't wait to watch the next episode.
Season 3, however, was for me a turning point. By planting the characters in one place on New Caprica the show's narrative contracted so much that it eliminated most of the adventure aspect that I loved so much. That combined with the increased presence of the Baltar character really took me out of the show.
The politics and mysticism present in the show always worked best as a background element, but as the plot progressed these elements took center stage. For this reason I liken BSG to another great scifi series, The X-Files. Both series had a fantastic start but were eventually overtaken by their respective mythologies. When I think back to some of the best episodes I think about how great of a space adventure BSG was, not the endless mythology that it became. For example the first episode of season 1, 33, where the Cylons follow the fleet's jump every 33 minutes is just great entertainment. It didn't need a thousand layers of gods, or angels, or visions, or prophecies, it worked purely as a human drama. That is where BSG's strength lied and that is why the show was worth watching in spite of it's over-the-top mythology.
The show's finale was a decent wrap-up as series finales go. The battle sequence felt rushed to fit in the rather drawn out denouement, but I was pleased to see some of the more annoying characters get their comeuppance. Some of the plot resolutions, however, were weak at best. In the end I like BSG a lot, but its slow decline has been hard to watch at times.
Duplicity
Duplicity is an entertaining light thriller with a great cast that is ultimately a decent film. Following the twists and turns of two industrial espionage agents' attempt to steal 40 million dollars, Duplicity is more simple fun than dark thriller; in fact it's practically a comedy.
In my opinion Duplicity couldn't quite decide which path to take and ended up straddling the line between thriller and comedy, without realizing the strengths of either. As a thriller it's, well, not very thrilling. As a comedy it's funny at times but not overtly jokey. In the end Duplicity is solid entertainment thanks to its fantastic cast who make the most of the unique premise and have a lot of fun with the sharp dialogue. The use of too many repetitive flashbacks serve to drag out the movie far longer than it should have been, however, it's worth a look nonetheless. 3.5/5
Watchmen
Watchmen is one of the few books that I have read before seeing the movie based on it. It is even more unique for being one of the first graphic novels I read after dipping my toe into comic books around a year ago. While I liked the book, I didn't love it as it seems most comic book fans do. That said, I was very curious how the movie would adapt this very dense comic.
Overall I think that Watchmen is one of the best film adaptations that I have seen. Since Watchmen is a standalone work that isn't as well known as other comic book stories like Batman or Superman, this film had a lot of work to do. It has to establish a lot of characters and the alternate reality world that they live in without losing the audience. In that regard Watchmen succeeds brilliantly. The director Zach Snyder and the writers did a fantastic job of trimming the fat and presenting the core of the story while maintaining the themes and tone of the book.
Zach Snyder leverages his ability for slick effects and brilliant production design to create an amazing visual show. The world of Watchmen is seamlessly produced with texture and style. The credit sequence alone is incredibly impressive, let alone the various fight sequences. This is a movie that benefits significantly from watching it in a theater.
The cast of Watchmen is also fantastic. I can't think of one weak link in the bunch. This is an ensemble movie with no true central character and the cast makes the most of their individual screen time. Jackie Earle Haley, however, nearly steals the show as Rorschach by completely embodying this larger than life character.
Much has been said about the deviation the filmmakers made from the ending of the book. While the film's ending is different, it is more of a modification than a complete change. Frankly I prefer the ending in the movie since it makes more sense, in my opinion. Watchmen always had an atypical ending and I think the films version is somewhat more satisfying.
My only major criticism of Watchmen is the sex scene between Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II. I can't wait to listen to Zach Snyder's commentary for this scene because I really want to know if this scene was purposely played for laughs. The scene is so long and so cheesy it would easily fit in a soft-core porn film.
Watchmen is a fantastic movie and a great translation of a classic graphic novel. I am amazed that the filmmakers were allowed to maintain the uncompromising nature of the book in its adaption for film. Despite being a complex narrative, it is very watchable even for a casual audience. I saw it with my sister, who has never read the book, and she liked it a lot. Definitely worth a look. 4.5/5
Gran Torino
Gran Torino is a tough film to review. I liked a lot of things about it, however, at nearly every turn the movie is held back by its underwhelming supporting cast and often cheesy dialogue.
In typical Clint Eastwood fashion, the main character of Gran Torino grits his teeth and growls a lot. This is to be expected. What I did not expect and what I liked most about the film was the humor provided by this character and his interactions with his family, neighbors and especially his barber. Eastwood's underestimated comic ability is the strength of the film.
Unfortunately, the rest of Gran Torino doesn't hold up to Eastwood's high standard. The side plot involving neighborhood gangs is tiresome and overwrought. This is only exacerbated by the horrible acting from the supporting cast who play the neighbors and gang members. I would have preferred seeing a character piece about an old man's realization that maybe his Asian neighbors aren't so bad and growing as a person in the process. Gran Torino tries to accomplish this, but it can't seem to get away from old-man-Dirty-Harry-esque grand standing. I'm not asking for a sappy, PC film about racial prejudice; I just don't want a movie that treads water and telegraphs its ending for half the film. Gran Torino is not a bad movie, it's just not nearly as good as the reviews it has received. 3/5