on this list: i wrap up the shows that made my Fall 2008. if you read my last power rankings, you'll have a pretty good idea where shows ended up, but there was SOME movement.
without further ado, the TV power rankings wrapping up Fall 2008.
1) The Shield
last ranked: 1
a great show that had an excellent ending. seriously. when the curtain fell on the series i was like "there was no other way they could have ended the show." almost brought a tear to my eye. it was so, so good. even though seasons 3 and 5 weren't really my cup of tea, The Shield stands as one of my favorite shows OF ALL TIME. godspeed Vic Mackey.
2) Sons of Anarchy
last ranked: 3
i said last time that this show kept creeping up and up the rankings, that it almost deserved to be #2 behind The Shield. well, with the season finale, it jumped to #2. with this show around next year (hopefully), i won't miss The Shield as much. WATCH IT.
3) House
last ranked: 2
fell to #3 for two reasons. first, i needed to make room for Sons of Anarchy. second, the whole concept is wearing a little (just a little) thin after almost 2 years straight of watching House. that said, i'm still interested enough in House and his supporting cast as characters to keep this show at #3.
4) Life
last ranked: 4
still too many relationships, but it's getting better. take out the relationships and this would be #3. still, it's one of the only things i still watch on my once-favorite network (oh NBC, how you have fallen).
5) Chuck
last ranked: 6
this is a show like House - very formulaic in the layout of their single episodes. and the only reason i haven't tired of the formula yet is because of the overarching story, the character arcs. they throw me for a loop every few episodes and introduce a new dynamic to the Chuck/Sara story and it's like "wow, where did that come from?" it's a funny show, sure, but it's also got some good writing going on behind the scenes.
6) 90210
last ranked: 7
i should NOT like this show. that said, i LOVE it. it's my guilty pleasure. moving on.
7) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
last ranked: 5
fell down the list because Chuck and 90210 have been doing better in my opinion. i'm not really liking how crazy Sarah is getting looking for the pattern of the 3 dots, how stupid John is being about Reilly, etc. that said, i still like the show - i just wish it would go in a different direction sometimes.
8) South Park
last ranked: 8
had a good half-season. not a great half-season, but a good half-season. i patiently await its return this March.
9) Fringe
last ranked: 9
still bugged by all the overarching stuff. you know, it's weird. i like shows like House and Chuck for the overarching stories, their character arcs, but then Fringe all i want is the single episodes. i could care less about her family or The Pattern. give me single episodes about weird stuff that remind me of what i REALLY want to be watching, The X-Files. hmm, maybe i should just watch The X-Files if i want to watch The X-Files.
10) Law & Order
last ranked: new
it's Law & Order. i've been watching it on and off my entire life. it has no right being as high as it is on the list, but hey, it's actually been pretty good this season. maybe i like the new cast.
11) Law & Order: SVU
last ranked: 12
funny enough SVU is showing its age more than the original is (maybe because they have mostly the same cast and can only do shows about special cases?), but i still look forward to SVU almost as much as the original every week.
12) Life on Mars
last ranked: 10
well, after several episodes i'm taking the American version of Life on Mars on its own merits - the only problem is, it's not very good on its own merits. ABC extended its life through the Spring, so i'm going to keep watching to see if it comes into its own. i mean there's some good acting, and the stories are ok. but it just doesn't have the LIFE that the original did, the charm, the reality. like i said above about Fringe, if i want to watch Life on Mars, maybe i should just watch the original. we'll see.
13) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
last ranked: 11
a good comedy that used to be great. still hope there's another season or two for these guys. see you next fall?
14) Heroes
last ranked: 11
so if you've been following the power rankings, you'll know that Heroes has been a roller coaster for me this year. i mean it's always pretty much been at the bottom of the list, but it's been up and down like "should i keep watching or not?" well after watching the majority of the fall season (i still haven't seen the final 2 episodes), i think i've settled on "not." i saw some previews during the Super Bowl and at first i muted the TV because i didn't want anything ruined for me - and then i was like "you know what? i really don't care." so i don't know, if i find myself some Sunday afternoon with nothing to watch and some time to kill, maybe i'll catch up on Heroes. otherwise this is goodbye. never did a show show so much promise and fall so hard. godspeed Heroes.
well that's it for the Fall 2008 wrap up. stay tuned for the first power rankings of 2009. will anything be better than The Shield's final season? hint: probably not. but there are a few contenders to overtake House and Life.
-k
Tuesday, February 3
Monday, November 3
Fallout 3 - to kill or not to kill
i know, i know. i've been talking a lot about TV lately. where's the movie reviews? where's the funny websites? where's the food reviews? well tonight i hope to get back on track with stuff that's not just TV. and i'm kicking things off with video games.
i started playing this post-apocalyptic first-person shooter / role-playing game (whew, what a mouthful) called Fallout 3, and within the first two hours of playing i came upon a decision wholly unlike any other i've ever had in a video game before.
to kill, or not to kill.
now, almost all video games present the player with the option to kill a major character, but they do so with blaring trumpets - they present it on a platter. press this button and the guy lives. press this button and the guy dies. and more often than not it's a matter of self defense.
nothing like this happened in Fallout 3. the guy was just standing in front of me and it was up to me to kill him or to let him live.
ok, let me back up. you play as someone trying to escape this "prison." you're trying to escape because your father (an important doctor in this prison) is missing and security thinks you know where he went.
in trying to find out where he went, security interrogates and kills one of his good friends. this good friend just happened to be a sort of uncle to you. now, you don't SEE the murder, but you hear about it and later see his dead body.
the man ultimately responsible for all this is the "warden" of this prison, the Overseer. to complicate matters, the Overseer has a daughter. she is your best friend. she aids you in your escape.
as you near the home stretch, you come upon a scene. the Overseer is interrogating his daughter with the help of a security guard. they want to know where you are. things are getting physical.
ok, first thing is first. the game actually allows you to just sneak past this scene and continue on with your escape (an amazing choice in its own right). of course, i was too emotionally invested in these characters to just sneak on past so i broke up the interrogation. i killed the guard (self defense) and my friend ran for it.
i was left face to face with the Overseer.
the option came up to talk to him, so i did. the only thing he was somewhat remorseful about was the death of my uncle. i questioned him about the interrogation of his own daughter. he basically said the needs of the many outweigh the few - even if the few are family. then he said i had to turn myself in. there was no way i was going to do that, so he started calling for the guards.
conversation over.
now i was left standing in front of him, unable to start another dialogue. i ran around checking for the guards he was calling for, but none appeared. then i checked on my best friend. she was ok but physically and emotionally shaken by the actions of her own father. i exhausted the dialogue tree and moved on, getting closer and closer to the exit.
then it hit me.
what happens to my best friend when i leave the prison? what is the Overseer - her own father - going to do to her if he was already interrogating her as he had been?
i had to go see what i could do.
i went back to the Overseer, but i still couldn't start another dialogue with him. he just kept yelling for the guards. then i pulled out my gun and aimed at him.
the game wasn't stopping me from killing him.
i put the gun down and went back to my best friend to see if she had anything else to say. unfortunately, she didn't. these were my choices:
1) kill the Overseer
+ prevent him from hurting his daughter/my best friend
+ small amount of revenge for killing my uncle
- best friend might hate me in the long run (she still loves her dad after all)
2) let the Overseer live
+ best friend won't hate me for killing him (though she could hate me for NOT killing him if he ends up ruining her life later)
- leaves my best friend in danger
- no revenge for the death of my uncle
i went back to the Overseer one more time just to make sure that the game really was letting me kill the guy if i wanted to. it was. unbelievable.
i thought the decision might be too big to make on my own. i mean what if this one action defines the rest of the game, or the end of the game when i eventually come back home? so i went online to see what other people did and do you know what i found out?
not only is the decision seemingly a minor one, no one else on the forums was talking about it like it was a major decision to be made! i was having my own crisis of conscience on a minor event in the game.
and that's what's so amazing.
there i was, not 2 hours into this 60+ hour game, and i am SO drawn into the world, so emotionally invested - by the dialogue, by the story, by the way the game presents itself - that i'm questioning whether or not to kill someone that ultimately may have no bearing on the game (or very little bearing).
i've never experienced anything else like it in a video game.
so many video games nowadays try and have choices that the player can make - Mass Effect, Fable II, KOTOR - but they usually end up boiling down to very black-and-white, scripted events. not Fallout 3.
and to think. if an event like this happened in the first 2 hours of the game, how many more events will there be like this in the next 58 hours?
if you couldn't tell by now, i am absolutely enthralled by this game.
-k
i started playing this post-apocalyptic first-person shooter / role-playing game (whew, what a mouthful) called Fallout 3, and within the first two hours of playing i came upon a decision wholly unlike any other i've ever had in a video game before.
to kill, or not to kill.
now, almost all video games present the player with the option to kill a major character, but they do so with blaring trumpets - they present it on a platter. press this button and the guy lives. press this button and the guy dies. and more often than not it's a matter of self defense.
nothing like this happened in Fallout 3. the guy was just standing in front of me and it was up to me to kill him or to let him live.
ok, let me back up. you play as someone trying to escape this "prison." you're trying to escape because your father (an important doctor in this prison) is missing and security thinks you know where he went.
in trying to find out where he went, security interrogates and kills one of his good friends. this good friend just happened to be a sort of uncle to you. now, you don't SEE the murder, but you hear about it and later see his dead body.
the man ultimately responsible for all this is the "warden" of this prison, the Overseer. to complicate matters, the Overseer has a daughter. she is your best friend. she aids you in your escape.
as you near the home stretch, you come upon a scene. the Overseer is interrogating his daughter with the help of a security guard. they want to know where you are. things are getting physical.
ok, first thing is first. the game actually allows you to just sneak past this scene and continue on with your escape (an amazing choice in its own right). of course, i was too emotionally invested in these characters to just sneak on past so i broke up the interrogation. i killed the guard (self defense) and my friend ran for it.
i was left face to face with the Overseer.
the option came up to talk to him, so i did. the only thing he was somewhat remorseful about was the death of my uncle. i questioned him about the interrogation of his own daughter. he basically said the needs of the many outweigh the few - even if the few are family. then he said i had to turn myself in. there was no way i was going to do that, so he started calling for the guards.
conversation over.
now i was left standing in front of him, unable to start another dialogue. i ran around checking for the guards he was calling for, but none appeared. then i checked on my best friend. she was ok but physically and emotionally shaken by the actions of her own father. i exhausted the dialogue tree and moved on, getting closer and closer to the exit.
then it hit me.
what happens to my best friend when i leave the prison? what is the Overseer - her own father - going to do to her if he was already interrogating her as he had been?
i had to go see what i could do.
i went back to the Overseer, but i still couldn't start another dialogue with him. he just kept yelling for the guards. then i pulled out my gun and aimed at him.
the game wasn't stopping me from killing him.
i put the gun down and went back to my best friend to see if she had anything else to say. unfortunately, she didn't. these were my choices:
1) kill the Overseer
+ prevent him from hurting his daughter/my best friend
+ small amount of revenge for killing my uncle
- best friend might hate me in the long run (she still loves her dad after all)
2) let the Overseer live
+ best friend won't hate me for killing him (though she could hate me for NOT killing him if he ends up ruining her life later)
- leaves my best friend in danger
- no revenge for the death of my uncle
i went back to the Overseer one more time just to make sure that the game really was letting me kill the guy if i wanted to. it was. unbelievable.
i thought the decision might be too big to make on my own. i mean what if this one action defines the rest of the game, or the end of the game when i eventually come back home? so i went online to see what other people did and do you know what i found out?
not only is the decision seemingly a minor one, no one else on the forums was talking about it like it was a major decision to be made! i was having my own crisis of conscience on a minor event in the game.
and that's what's so amazing.
there i was, not 2 hours into this 60+ hour game, and i am SO drawn into the world, so emotionally invested - by the dialogue, by the story, by the way the game presents itself - that i'm questioning whether or not to kill someone that ultimately may have no bearing on the game (or very little bearing).
i've never experienced anything else like it in a video game.
so many video games nowadays try and have choices that the player can make - Mass Effect, Fable II, KOTOR - but they usually end up boiling down to very black-and-white, scripted events. not Fallout 3.
and to think. if an event like this happened in the first 2 hours of the game, how many more events will there be like this in the next 58 hours?
if you couldn't tell by now, i am absolutely enthralled by this game.
-k
Friday, October 24
TV power rankings - going into the week of 10/27/08
on this list: some shows rise causing others to fall. others fall because, well, they haven't been up to snuff these past few weeks. and we've got 3 newcomers: South Park, the Life on Mars remake, and Crusoe. how did they fair? well, you won't be seeing one of them on the next list.
without further ado, the TV power rankings going into the week of 10/27/08.
1) The Shield
last ranked: 2
the last 2 weeks have set the stage for the final 5 episodes - and possibly set the stage for the best ending to a TV series ever. seriously, things happened that you would NEVER see in another show - things that just raised the quality of season 7 to almost season 6 quality. it's that good.
2) House
last ranked: 4
just like The Shield, the last 2 episodes have vaulted House to the top of the list, and it's mostly due to the House/Wilson dynamic - one of the most interesting friendships in all of television.
3) Sons of Anarchy
last ranked: 5
with each week this show creeps up the list a little more. with last week's episode, it almost deserves to be #2 below The Shield. it's really, really good.
4) Life
last ranked: 1
only reason this fell is because the shows now above it have stepped up their game in the past few weeks. Life hasn't gotten any worse; those shows just got a lot better. the one MINOR gripe i have with Life is that it seems to think that every week they need to focus on a relationship or two. Charlie and his ex wife. Charlie's roommate and Olivia. Charlie's partner and the new head of the department. it's too relationship-y. they especially took it too far with his partner and the head of the department. no way would that have happened.
5) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
last ranked: 3
this fell for pretty much the same reason Life did. only small problem i have this year: everyone is really, really moody. i like that the once-inseparable mother-son combo of John and Sarah Connor has some tension now, but damn do those two know how to scowl and be moody.
6) Chuck
last ranked: 7
you know what? i've always looked at this show as just a fun distraction until two weeks ago. it was then that i realized it actually had pretty good writing. last year it was about Chuck pining over the unattainable Sarah. this year she's pining for him but they both know they can't take their relationship any further while he remains her mission. it's pretty cool stuff. it's got better writing than, say, Heroes. WAY better.
7) 90210
last ranked: 8
do you know what else has better writing than Heroes this year? this show. no, it's still not that good of a show. yes, it's still totally a guilty pleasure. but you know what? the last episode i watched had genuinely funny moments in its writing and acting. oh, and apparently it's not going to be canceled this year. the network has ordered a full season's worth of episodes. i guess it's doing well. wow. who woulda thunk it.
8) South Park
last ranked: new
started with a bang 3 weeks ago with the Indy rape episode. then it aired two episodes that were just par for the course - the latest being part 1 of at least a two-parter (and i'm not usually a fan of multi-part South Park episodes, as they tend to be too drawn out). with the ups and downs so far, i'm still interested to see where this season goes - just not maybe as excited as i was after the first episode this season.
9) Fringe
last ranked: 6
this was higher on the list until two weeks ago when they aired an episode that was all about "the pattern" or whatever the hell they call it. i like this show when it's about the wacky cases and the quirky father/son duo. when it devotes an entire episode to furthering the ridiculous overarching story of "the pattern" - that's when i'm not a fan. the show is too serious for its own good. i enjoy it when it's fun, not when it's bogged down in laughable conspiracy theories. oh, and for those that think the main chick is interesting? come on. she's either a horrible actress or they're giving her horrible material. scowl a little more will ya? scowl must = serious. she'd fit right in on Terminator.
10) Life on Mars
last ranked: new
it's taken me 3 weeks, but i'm finally starting to take this show on its own merits and trying to forget the near-perfect British show that it's based off of. i like the main character and the supporting women characters. i hate - HATE - Harvey Keitel (sp?) as the captain. he just plays his normal self. he's no Gene Hunt. but he never will be. like i said, i'm trying to forget the original and enjoy this new version - because i'm pretty sure it won't be around for long. as it is though, it doesn't hold a candle to the original.
11) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
last ranked: 9
each episode is getting more and more absurd. as i said before, absurdity for absurdity's sake isn't always funny. however, the only reason it slipped down the list is because of the new shows above it.
12) Law & Order: SVU
last ranked: 10
had to make room for the new shows, so this slipped too. i still love you SVU, but why do you feel the need to constantly focus on the main characters' lives instead of just focusing on the cases? that show 2 weeks ago that focused on Elliot's family was cringe-worthy.
13) Heroes
last ranked: 11
i just don't know what to write about this show anymore. after this week i think i'm starting to take season 3 on its own merits, but there's still way too much going on that's just rehashing of season 1 and season 2. Peter losing his powers? check. Claire hating her dad? check. Parkman being totally useless when he could be written so much better? check. the writers not remembering which heroes have what powers and writing scenes that make absolutely no sense given the powers of those involved in the scenes? check. i'm still watching, but it's more out of a morbid curiosity now than anything. that, and like i said - season 3 is sort of coming into its own, which is good... i just don't like what it's becoming.
14) Crusoe
last ranked: new
yes, there is currently something worse than Heroes. tried watching this show on a whim. it's just NBC trying to cash in on the Pirates of the Caribbean fad. it's a weird mix of humor and drama that just doesn't mesh well together. will not watch again.
what are you all watching? what should i be watching that i'm not? where did i go wrong on my list?
-k
without further ado, the TV power rankings going into the week of 10/27/08.
1) The Shield
last ranked: 2
the last 2 weeks have set the stage for the final 5 episodes - and possibly set the stage for the best ending to a TV series ever. seriously, things happened that you would NEVER see in another show - things that just raised the quality of season 7 to almost season 6 quality. it's that good.
2) House
last ranked: 4
just like The Shield, the last 2 episodes have vaulted House to the top of the list, and it's mostly due to the House/Wilson dynamic - one of the most interesting friendships in all of television.
3) Sons of Anarchy
last ranked: 5
with each week this show creeps up the list a little more. with last week's episode, it almost deserves to be #2 below The Shield. it's really, really good.
4) Life
last ranked: 1
only reason this fell is because the shows now above it have stepped up their game in the past few weeks. Life hasn't gotten any worse; those shows just got a lot better. the one MINOR gripe i have with Life is that it seems to think that every week they need to focus on a relationship or two. Charlie and his ex wife. Charlie's roommate and Olivia. Charlie's partner and the new head of the department. it's too relationship-y. they especially took it too far with his partner and the head of the department. no way would that have happened.
5) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
last ranked: 3
this fell for pretty much the same reason Life did. only small problem i have this year: everyone is really, really moody. i like that the once-inseparable mother-son combo of John and Sarah Connor has some tension now, but damn do those two know how to scowl and be moody.
6) Chuck
last ranked: 7
you know what? i've always looked at this show as just a fun distraction until two weeks ago. it was then that i realized it actually had pretty good writing. last year it was about Chuck pining over the unattainable Sarah. this year she's pining for him but they both know they can't take their relationship any further while he remains her mission. it's pretty cool stuff. it's got better writing than, say, Heroes. WAY better.
7) 90210
last ranked: 8
do you know what else has better writing than Heroes this year? this show. no, it's still not that good of a show. yes, it's still totally a guilty pleasure. but you know what? the last episode i watched had genuinely funny moments in its writing and acting. oh, and apparently it's not going to be canceled this year. the network has ordered a full season's worth of episodes. i guess it's doing well. wow. who woulda thunk it.
8) South Park
last ranked: new
started with a bang 3 weeks ago with the Indy rape episode. then it aired two episodes that were just par for the course - the latest being part 1 of at least a two-parter (and i'm not usually a fan of multi-part South Park episodes, as they tend to be too drawn out). with the ups and downs so far, i'm still interested to see where this season goes - just not maybe as excited as i was after the first episode this season.
9) Fringe
last ranked: 6
this was higher on the list until two weeks ago when they aired an episode that was all about "the pattern" or whatever the hell they call it. i like this show when it's about the wacky cases and the quirky father/son duo. when it devotes an entire episode to furthering the ridiculous overarching story of "the pattern" - that's when i'm not a fan. the show is too serious for its own good. i enjoy it when it's fun, not when it's bogged down in laughable conspiracy theories. oh, and for those that think the main chick is interesting? come on. she's either a horrible actress or they're giving her horrible material. scowl a little more will ya? scowl must = serious. she'd fit right in on Terminator.
10) Life on Mars
last ranked: new
it's taken me 3 weeks, but i'm finally starting to take this show on its own merits and trying to forget the near-perfect British show that it's based off of. i like the main character and the supporting women characters. i hate - HATE - Harvey Keitel (sp?) as the captain. he just plays his normal self. he's no Gene Hunt. but he never will be. like i said, i'm trying to forget the original and enjoy this new version - because i'm pretty sure it won't be around for long. as it is though, it doesn't hold a candle to the original.
11) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
last ranked: 9
each episode is getting more and more absurd. as i said before, absurdity for absurdity's sake isn't always funny. however, the only reason it slipped down the list is because of the new shows above it.
12) Law & Order: SVU
last ranked: 10
had to make room for the new shows, so this slipped too. i still love you SVU, but why do you feel the need to constantly focus on the main characters' lives instead of just focusing on the cases? that show 2 weeks ago that focused on Elliot's family was cringe-worthy.
13) Heroes
last ranked: 11
i just don't know what to write about this show anymore. after this week i think i'm starting to take season 3 on its own merits, but there's still way too much going on that's just rehashing of season 1 and season 2. Peter losing his powers? check. Claire hating her dad? check. Parkman being totally useless when he could be written so much better? check. the writers not remembering which heroes have what powers and writing scenes that make absolutely no sense given the powers of those involved in the scenes? check. i'm still watching, but it's more out of a morbid curiosity now than anything. that, and like i said - season 3 is sort of coming into its own, which is good... i just don't like what it's becoming.
14) Crusoe
last ranked: new
yes, there is currently something worse than Heroes. tried watching this show on a whim. it's just NBC trying to cash in on the Pirates of the Caribbean fad. it's a weird mix of humor and drama that just doesn't mesh well together. will not watch again.
what are you all watching? what should i be watching that i'm not? where did i go wrong on my list?
-k
Thursday, October 2
TV Power Rankings - going into the week of 10/6/08
for some reason i'm a big fan of power rankings. i have no idea why. maybe i just like ranked lists. anyway, i thought i'd rank the TV shows i'm currently watching. i might not do this every week, but we'll see.
rankings are not necessarily based on how i feel about a show on the whole, but how i feel the show is currently doing - how i liked the previous episode, how it's been doing overall for the season, and how much i'm looking forward to the next episode. for example, Heroes is a pretty good show (and i will always think it's a good show overall) that has had a horrible start (in my opinion) this season. that's why it's at the bottom of this week's list.
without further ado, the TV power rankings going into the week of 10/6/08.
1) Life
this show started its second season out with 2 of the most original episodes in the police drama setting that i've ever seen. the writing is just so... fresh. Life has yet to disappoint. my only worry is that with NBC pumping out 4 episodes in 2 weeks and then pushing it to Friday nights, Life doesn't have much longer to live.
2) The Shield
halfway through the final season and i am not disappointed in the least. is it as good as the start of the sixth season? of course not - nothing ever will be. but it's on the right track to ending with a bang (in more than one sense).
3) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
a second season gives the show a chance to flesh out backstories. that's exactly what Chronicles is doing. and it's pretty entertaining to say the least.
4) House
a show that never plays it safe. last year he lost his team, this year he loses his only friend. say what you want about the weekly cases, it's the drama between House and the rest of his team is what is so compelling. my only worry for this year: the new private eye House is paying for is a being written a little too quirky, too cute. oh, and a relationship with Cuddy is completely unnecessary.
5) Sons of Anarchy
good start to this fledgling series. i could see this going a few seasons if the writing is able to stay fresh. i'm a fan.
6) Fringe
this was higher on the list until this past week, when they aired an episode that was all about "the pattern" or whatever the hell they call it. i like this show when it's about the wacky cases and the quirky father/son duo. when it devotes an entire episode to furthering the ridiculous overarching story of "the pattern" - that's when i'm not a fan. show is too serious for its own good. i enjoy it when it's fun, not when it's bogged down in laughable conspiracy theories.
7) Chuck
a good, fun show. while i can see myself getting tired of the formula in another year or two, it's a good distraction for now.
8) 90210
a guilty pleasure. started watching it because of the ties it had to the old 90210, but now i'm a full-fledged fan. is it a good show? no, not really. but it's fun. and it's neat seeing some of the old gang around - even though it seems like they might be getting phased out. i'll continue to watch it until it inevitably gets canceled later this year.
9) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
still continues to be funny despite its downward spiral from its golden first season. i'm a fan of the absurd, what can i say?
10) Law & Order: SVU
it's Law & Order. how can i not watch it? is the show good anymore? that's tough to say. i still have a good time watching, but i'll be the first to admit it's a mere shadow of what it used to be 4-5 seasons ago.
11) Heroes
once one of my favorite shows, Heroes has taken a mighty fall. all they're doing this year is rehashing stories from previous seasons (mostly season 1) and coming up with ridiculous and ludicrous team-ups. and i'm not a fan. there are still a few original, interesting things happening, so i'm going to stick around a few more weeks to see how those develop, but if they wither and die instead of blossoming, i'm done. oh how the mighty have fallen.
yet to be ranked: Life on Mars, South Park (both coming next week), and Crusoe (2 weeks).
-k
rankings are not necessarily based on how i feel about a show on the whole, but how i feel the show is currently doing - how i liked the previous episode, how it's been doing overall for the season, and how much i'm looking forward to the next episode. for example, Heroes is a pretty good show (and i will always think it's a good show overall) that has had a horrible start (in my opinion) this season. that's why it's at the bottom of this week's list.
without further ado, the TV power rankings going into the week of 10/6/08.
1) Life
this show started its second season out with 2 of the most original episodes in the police drama setting that i've ever seen. the writing is just so... fresh. Life has yet to disappoint. my only worry is that with NBC pumping out 4 episodes in 2 weeks and then pushing it to Friday nights, Life doesn't have much longer to live.
2) The Shield
halfway through the final season and i am not disappointed in the least. is it as good as the start of the sixth season? of course not - nothing ever will be. but it's on the right track to ending with a bang (in more than one sense).
3) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
a second season gives the show a chance to flesh out backstories. that's exactly what Chronicles is doing. and it's pretty entertaining to say the least.
4) House
a show that never plays it safe. last year he lost his team, this year he loses his only friend. say what you want about the weekly cases, it's the drama between House and the rest of his team is what is so compelling. my only worry for this year: the new private eye House is paying for is a being written a little too quirky, too cute. oh, and a relationship with Cuddy is completely unnecessary.
5) Sons of Anarchy
good start to this fledgling series. i could see this going a few seasons if the writing is able to stay fresh. i'm a fan.
6) Fringe
this was higher on the list until this past week, when they aired an episode that was all about "the pattern" or whatever the hell they call it. i like this show when it's about the wacky cases and the quirky father/son duo. when it devotes an entire episode to furthering the ridiculous overarching story of "the pattern" - that's when i'm not a fan. show is too serious for its own good. i enjoy it when it's fun, not when it's bogged down in laughable conspiracy theories.
7) Chuck
a good, fun show. while i can see myself getting tired of the formula in another year or two, it's a good distraction for now.
8) 90210
a guilty pleasure. started watching it because of the ties it had to the old 90210, but now i'm a full-fledged fan. is it a good show? no, not really. but it's fun. and it's neat seeing some of the old gang around - even though it seems like they might be getting phased out. i'll continue to watch it until it inevitably gets canceled later this year.
9) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
still continues to be funny despite its downward spiral from its golden first season. i'm a fan of the absurd, what can i say?
10) Law & Order: SVU
it's Law & Order. how can i not watch it? is the show good anymore? that's tough to say. i still have a good time watching, but i'll be the first to admit it's a mere shadow of what it used to be 4-5 seasons ago.
11) Heroes
once one of my favorite shows, Heroes has taken a mighty fall. all they're doing this year is rehashing stories from previous seasons (mostly season 1) and coming up with ridiculous and ludicrous team-ups. and i'm not a fan. there are still a few original, interesting things happening, so i'm going to stick around a few more weeks to see how those develop, but if they wither and die instead of blossoming, i'm done. oh how the mighty have fallen.
yet to be ranked: Life on Mars, South Park (both coming next week), and Crusoe (2 weeks).
-k
Monday, September 22
TV - Fall 2008
so i didn't think there was going to be a lot to watch this year, what with NBC canceling excellent shows like Journeyman and putting in its place Knight Rider 2008 and My Own Worst Enemy. then i sat down and figured out what i want to watch and you know what? there's enough.
Mondays
7PM
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Fox; second season already in progress
WILL WATCH
2 weeks in and this show is already kicking ass like it did when it premiered last year. sleeper hit of the year last year (maybe because of the writer's strike) has now become one of my favorite shows.
Chuck
NBC; second season premieres September 29
WILL WATCH
funny show. first season ended abruptly and with no real wrap-up because of the writer's strike, so i'm interested to see where it goes from there.
8PM
Heroes
NBC; third season premieres September 22
60-minute clip show precedes episode;
show moves to 8:00 on September 29
WILL CHECK OUT
they really, REALLY lost me with how crappy season 2 turned out to be. if they don't hook me again in the first few episodes of season 3, i'm out.
9PM
Life
NBC; second season premieres September 29
Special preview; show moves to Fridays on October 10
WILL WATCH
EXCELLENT show. fills my "wacky detective" television show quota for the fall. however, it's main night is going to be Fridays, so i don't expect it to be around long (thanks a lot NBC).
Tuesdays
7PM
90210
The CW; first season already in progress
WILL CHECK OUT
i was a fan of the original (god knows why) so i have to check out the remake. it can't be that bad, can it?
House
Fox; fifth season already in progress
WILL WATCH
the end of the first episode of this season was AMAZING. this is a show that's not afraid to take risks with it's main cast members. and i like that.
8PM
Fringe
Fox; first season already in progress
WILL CHECK OUT
it's X-Files for the new generation. if i were to watch this show seriously i would laugh at the absurdities (in the cases and, moreover, in the writing) - so it's nowhere near as good as X-Files - BUT for some reason it's fun to watch. it's just cheesy goodness. oh and the main actress is hot.
9PM
The Shield
FX; seventh season already in progress
WILL WATCH
not as good as the start of last season (some of the best television i've ever seen EVER was the start of the sixth season) but still great. only 7 more episodes left until it's all over. :(
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
NBC; 10th season premieres September 23
WILL WATCH
i'm a fan, come hell or high water. what can i say? it'll be interesting this year because at least 2 of the main characters left. see who they got to replace them.
Wednesdays
9PM
Sons of Anarchy
FX; first season already in progress
WILL CHECK OUT
after 3 episodes, this is turning out to be a pretty good show about a biker gang that is in it's final days (sort of like The Shield is all about the final days of the Strike Team). sure you could put the plot onto any "gang" situation - mafia, yakuza, Bloods/Crypts - but it's still an interesting show. oh and the mom from Married with Children is a BADASS and Ron Pearlman is awesome like usual.
Thursdays
7PM
My Name is Earl
NBC; fourth season premieres September 25
Special one-hour episode
MIGHT WATCH
if i happen to be home with nothing to watch.
7:30PM
Kath & Kim
NBC; premieres October 9
WILL CHECK OUT
if i happen to be home with nothing to watch.
8PM
The Office
NBC; fifth season premieres September 25
Special one-hour episode
MIGHT WATCH
if i happen to be home with nothing to watch.
8:30PM
30 Rock
NBC; third season premieres October 30
MIGHT WATCH
if i happen to be home with nothing to watch.
9PM
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
FX; fourth season already in progress
WILL WATCH
i still think their first season was comedic gold and everything after that has been good but not great (absurdity for absurdity's sake isn't always funny) - however, it's still an wholly original comedy that's just my sense of humor.
Life on Mars
ABC; premieres October 9
WILL CHECK OUT
a remake of one of my favorite shows of all time? oh you know i've got to check it out. i'm worried, however, that it won't translate well, that putting it on Thursdays at 9PM is a death sentence (that the show will never have a chance), and that if they HAPPEN to make it past the first half-season, the premise is going to get old. the original only had 16 episodes TOTAL. oh, and the ending? there's NO WAY they could pull that off on American television. no. way.
Fridays
7PM
Crusoe
NBC; premieres October 17
Special two-hour episode
WILL CHECK OUT
mildly interested. seems like something fresh and different, so i'll check it out.
9PM
Life
NBC; moves to Fridays on October 10
WILL WATCH
damn you NBC for renewing Life only to put it in one of the worst time slots EVER. this - along with your canceling of Journeyman, your Knight Rider remake, and your My Own Worst Enemy show - makes me think you lost your mind around the time of the writer's strike. if Heroes ends up sucking, i may just be done with you.
-k
Mondays
7PM
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Fox; second season already in progress
WILL WATCH
2 weeks in and this show is already kicking ass like it did when it premiered last year. sleeper hit of the year last year (maybe because of the writer's strike) has now become one of my favorite shows.
Chuck
NBC; second season premieres September 29
WILL WATCH
funny show. first season ended abruptly and with no real wrap-up because of the writer's strike, so i'm interested to see where it goes from there.
8PM
Heroes
NBC; third season premieres September 22
60-minute clip show precedes episode;
show moves to 8:00 on September 29
WILL CHECK OUT
they really, REALLY lost me with how crappy season 2 turned out to be. if they don't hook me again in the first few episodes of season 3, i'm out.
9PM
Life
NBC; second season premieres September 29
Special preview; show moves to Fridays on October 10
WILL WATCH
EXCELLENT show. fills my "wacky detective" television show quota for the fall. however, it's main night is going to be Fridays, so i don't expect it to be around long (thanks a lot NBC).
Tuesdays
7PM
90210
The CW; first season already in progress
WILL CHECK OUT
i was a fan of the original (god knows why) so i have to check out the remake. it can't be that bad, can it?
House
Fox; fifth season already in progress
WILL WATCH
the end of the first episode of this season was AMAZING. this is a show that's not afraid to take risks with it's main cast members. and i like that.
8PM
Fringe
Fox; first season already in progress
WILL CHECK OUT
it's X-Files for the new generation. if i were to watch this show seriously i would laugh at the absurdities (in the cases and, moreover, in the writing) - so it's nowhere near as good as X-Files - BUT for some reason it's fun to watch. it's just cheesy goodness. oh and the main actress is hot.
9PM
The Shield
FX; seventh season already in progress
WILL WATCH
not as good as the start of last season (some of the best television i've ever seen EVER was the start of the sixth season) but still great. only 7 more episodes left until it's all over. :(
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
NBC; 10th season premieres September 23
WILL WATCH
i'm a fan, come hell or high water. what can i say? it'll be interesting this year because at least 2 of the main characters left. see who they got to replace them.
Wednesdays
9PM
Sons of Anarchy
FX; first season already in progress
WILL CHECK OUT
after 3 episodes, this is turning out to be a pretty good show about a biker gang that is in it's final days (sort of like The Shield is all about the final days of the Strike Team). sure you could put the plot onto any "gang" situation - mafia, yakuza, Bloods/Crypts - but it's still an interesting show. oh and the mom from Married with Children is a BADASS and Ron Pearlman is awesome like usual.
Thursdays
7PM
My Name is Earl
NBC; fourth season premieres September 25
Special one-hour episode
MIGHT WATCH
if i happen to be home with nothing to watch.
7:30PM
Kath & Kim
NBC; premieres October 9
WILL CHECK OUT
if i happen to be home with nothing to watch.
8PM
The Office
NBC; fifth season premieres September 25
Special one-hour episode
MIGHT WATCH
if i happen to be home with nothing to watch.
8:30PM
30 Rock
NBC; third season premieres October 30
MIGHT WATCH
if i happen to be home with nothing to watch.
9PM
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
FX; fourth season already in progress
WILL WATCH
i still think their first season was comedic gold and everything after that has been good but not great (absurdity for absurdity's sake isn't always funny) - however, it's still an wholly original comedy that's just my sense of humor.
Life on Mars
ABC; premieres October 9
WILL CHECK OUT
a remake of one of my favorite shows of all time? oh you know i've got to check it out. i'm worried, however, that it won't translate well, that putting it on Thursdays at 9PM is a death sentence (that the show will never have a chance), and that if they HAPPEN to make it past the first half-season, the premise is going to get old. the original only had 16 episodes TOTAL. oh, and the ending? there's NO WAY they could pull that off on American television. no. way.
Fridays
7PM
Crusoe
NBC; premieres October 17
Special two-hour episode
WILL CHECK OUT
mildly interested. seems like something fresh and different, so i'll check it out.
9PM
Life
NBC; moves to Fridays on October 10
WILL WATCH
damn you NBC for renewing Life only to put it in one of the worst time slots EVER. this - along with your canceling of Journeyman, your Knight Rider remake, and your My Own Worst Enemy show - makes me think you lost your mind around the time of the writer's strike. if Heroes ends up sucking, i may just be done with you.
-k
Wednesday, September 3
Vegas 2008 - or how i spent my Labor Day weekend saying goodbye to The Experience
as many of you probably know, i am a Star Trek fan. i'm a fan of the movies, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. the only reason i'm not a fan of the original series and Enterprise is because i haven't had the time to sit down and watch them yet (i'm sure i'd like them if i watched them).
as many of you probably know, i am also a Las Vegas fan. for the past several years it's been my mission to (boldly?) go to Vegas at least once a year. after last year's Thanksgiving Vegas trip, i thought we might be taking a year off this year. and we did - well, 2/3 of the usual crew did. but once i heard that Star Trek: The Experience in the Las Vegas Hilton was closing its doors after almost 11 years of operation, i had to say goodbye (see the first paragraph).
so i wrangled up my good buddy (and inside guy to The Experience) Todd and the two of us headed out to Vegas this Labor Day Weekend, 2008.
highlights of the trip:
- meeting up with so many of Todd's Trek friends, many of whom i had met before but am by no means friends with myself (though i'd like to hope we're all acquaintances now at least). they went out of their way to make me feel welcome, like part of the crew. it was great hanging out with Paul, Barry, Todd (the other Todd), Bev, and Mary (to name a few). not only were they a fun bunch, they all had worked (or still did work) at Star Trek: The Experience and offered up lots of great stories. it was great getting the inside scoop, experiencing the closing of The Experience from other points of view.
- getting to visit the gift shop in its final days and see what kinds of things even fans of Star Trek won't buy. among my favorites were a beardless William Riker figure sitting in what was described as the "commander's chair" even though it obviously was the captain's chair, and a disembodied Diana Troy holographic head postcard of which they still had hundreds of.
- getting to meet/be reintroduced to so many of the fine actors and actresses that played the parts of the aliens that made The Experience come alive. it was one thing to have them come up to us in character and chat with us like that, but it was something else entirely to see them out of makeup being toasted by their peers during one of the many after parties. the passion many of these actors/actresses put into years of work was evident. one summed it up saying "Star Trek is my life."
- being present at Quark's to hear the "official" story as to what was happening with the time station (The Experience) from the mouth of one of the Andorians (as he stood atop the bar). the temporal rift that formed, allowing the station to come to our present, was closing, but at the same time it was returning in a way back to when it started (1998) so that we all could relive the past 10 years - relive the happy times - over and over again. i can't do the speech justice, but out of all the stories and speeches that nearly brought me to tears, this was the best.
- getting to see, meet, and hear the stories about all the "superfans." these were the fans that would visit The Experience month after month, the fans that were vying for who rode the ride the most, the fans for whom it made everything worthwhile. the great thing was, the majority of them weren't crazy or out of their gourds or anything - they just loved Star Trek. and really, what's wrong with that.
- being there for the decommissioning ceremony. as with every ship or station, there is a commissioning ceremony upon its completion, and a decommissioning ceremony upon its destruction. this decommissioning ceremony was held right outside the entrance to The Experience and had about 200-300 fans in attendance. the names of all the employees currently working there were read, they all came down and received recognition, speeches were given, and finally a chord was released and a huge gold curtain that hung from the ceiling came down and covered the entrance. Star Trek: The Experience was no more.
- getting to hit the strip at least once. unlike many of my visits to Vegas, this one we stayed pretty much off the strip (and in The Experience). however, Todd and i did take the monorail one afternoon from the Hilton to the strip and walked down a little ways to Casino Royale, my now-favorite casino on the strip. why? because beer there is $1-2 a bottle when everywhere else it's at least $4-6. yay cheap beer! so we got to see the strip and good news, it's still alive and kicking.
- getting to do off-strip stuff. last November was the first time i was introduced to off-strip Vegas goodness - of which there is a lot of. the German beer hall, the plethora of awesome local bars, the local comic book shop, the great local place to eat breakfast... this time we were lucky enough to have Mary drive our dumb asses around one afternoon and hit up the breakfast spot, an antique store, the comic shop, and two other magnificent places. first was a pinball arcade. yes, nestled in an unassuming strip mall was a pinball machine arcade. it was almost like a museum (for us video game fans) because they had machines ranging from the late 1950s all the way to the 1990s. i played Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles, Super Mario World, and Nugent. yes, there was a Ted Nugent pinball machine from the late 70s. it was amazing. second, we visited the Liberace museum. it too was in a strip mall and oh man it was unbelievable. i had no idea who Liberace was before going into the museum (i was just along for the ride at this point), but man it was still fun going around in there and just being like "am i really in a museum dedicated to this flamboyantly gay musician in a Las Vegas strip mall?" yes, yes i was.
so that was pretty much Vegas 2008. it was a much different Vegas trip than what i've grown accustomed to the past few years, but it was a much more personal one - yes somewhat for me (like i said, i did tear up a few times), but more for those that had worked there, that still worked there until the very end. it was amazing seeing the end through their eyes. The Experience really meant a lot to a lot of different people. other than the Star Trek convention, it was one of the last mainstream things keeping the Star Trek Universe alive (until the movie and the online game come out sometime next year). and now it's gone.
thank you to all of the actors and workers that made it all happen. 10 years isn't a bad run, especially in today's Vegas. you should all be proud of yourselves. you brought a lot of smiles to fans and superfans alike. as the Andorian said, we'll be seeing each other again, for the first time, on and on, forever and ever. Star Trek will never truly die.
-k
as many of you probably know, i am also a Las Vegas fan. for the past several years it's been my mission to (boldly?) go to Vegas at least once a year. after last year's Thanksgiving Vegas trip, i thought we might be taking a year off this year. and we did - well, 2/3 of the usual crew did. but once i heard that Star Trek: The Experience in the Las Vegas Hilton was closing its doors after almost 11 years of operation, i had to say goodbye (see the first paragraph).
so i wrangled up my good buddy (and inside guy to The Experience) Todd and the two of us headed out to Vegas this Labor Day Weekend, 2008.
highlights of the trip:
- meeting up with so many of Todd's Trek friends, many of whom i had met before but am by no means friends with myself (though i'd like to hope we're all acquaintances now at least). they went out of their way to make me feel welcome, like part of the crew. it was great hanging out with Paul, Barry, Todd (the other Todd), Bev, and Mary (to name a few). not only were they a fun bunch, they all had worked (or still did work) at Star Trek: The Experience and offered up lots of great stories. it was great getting the inside scoop, experiencing the closing of The Experience from other points of view.
- getting to visit the gift shop in its final days and see what kinds of things even fans of Star Trek won't buy. among my favorites were a beardless William Riker figure sitting in what was described as the "commander's chair" even though it obviously was the captain's chair, and a disembodied Diana Troy holographic head postcard of which they still had hundreds of.
- getting to meet/be reintroduced to so many of the fine actors and actresses that played the parts of the aliens that made The Experience come alive. it was one thing to have them come up to us in character and chat with us like that, but it was something else entirely to see them out of makeup being toasted by their peers during one of the many after parties. the passion many of these actors/actresses put into years of work was evident. one summed it up saying "Star Trek is my life."
- being present at Quark's to hear the "official" story as to what was happening with the time station (The Experience) from the mouth of one of the Andorians (as he stood atop the bar). the temporal rift that formed, allowing the station to come to our present, was closing, but at the same time it was returning in a way back to when it started (1998) so that we all could relive the past 10 years - relive the happy times - over and over again. i can't do the speech justice, but out of all the stories and speeches that nearly brought me to tears, this was the best.
- getting to see, meet, and hear the stories about all the "superfans." these were the fans that would visit The Experience month after month, the fans that were vying for who rode the ride the most, the fans for whom it made everything worthwhile. the great thing was, the majority of them weren't crazy or out of their gourds or anything - they just loved Star Trek. and really, what's wrong with that.
- being there for the decommissioning ceremony. as with every ship or station, there is a commissioning ceremony upon its completion, and a decommissioning ceremony upon its destruction. this decommissioning ceremony was held right outside the entrance to The Experience and had about 200-300 fans in attendance. the names of all the employees currently working there were read, they all came down and received recognition, speeches were given, and finally a chord was released and a huge gold curtain that hung from the ceiling came down and covered the entrance. Star Trek: The Experience was no more.
- getting to hit the strip at least once. unlike many of my visits to Vegas, this one we stayed pretty much off the strip (and in The Experience). however, Todd and i did take the monorail one afternoon from the Hilton to the strip and walked down a little ways to Casino Royale, my now-favorite casino on the strip. why? because beer there is $1-2 a bottle when everywhere else it's at least $4-6. yay cheap beer! so we got to see the strip and good news, it's still alive and kicking.
- getting to do off-strip stuff. last November was the first time i was introduced to off-strip Vegas goodness - of which there is a lot of. the German beer hall, the plethora of awesome local bars, the local comic book shop, the great local place to eat breakfast... this time we were lucky enough to have Mary drive our dumb asses around one afternoon and hit up the breakfast spot, an antique store, the comic shop, and two other magnificent places. first was a pinball arcade. yes, nestled in an unassuming strip mall was a pinball machine arcade. it was almost like a museum (for us video game fans) because they had machines ranging from the late 1950s all the way to the 1990s. i played Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles, Super Mario World, and Nugent. yes, there was a Ted Nugent pinball machine from the late 70s. it was amazing. second, we visited the Liberace museum. it too was in a strip mall and oh man it was unbelievable. i had no idea who Liberace was before going into the museum (i was just along for the ride at this point), but man it was still fun going around in there and just being like "am i really in a museum dedicated to this flamboyantly gay musician in a Las Vegas strip mall?" yes, yes i was.
so that was pretty much Vegas 2008. it was a much different Vegas trip than what i've grown accustomed to the past few years, but it was a much more personal one - yes somewhat for me (like i said, i did tear up a few times), but more for those that had worked there, that still worked there until the very end. it was amazing seeing the end through their eyes. The Experience really meant a lot to a lot of different people. other than the Star Trek convention, it was one of the last mainstream things keeping the Star Trek Universe alive (until the movie and the online game come out sometime next year). and now it's gone.
thank you to all of the actors and workers that made it all happen. 10 years isn't a bad run, especially in today's Vegas. you should all be proud of yourselves. you brought a lot of smiles to fans and superfans alike. as the Andorian said, we'll be seeing each other again, for the first time, on and on, forever and ever. Star Trek will never truly die.
-k
Tuesday, August 5
the dark knight review
it may have taken me almost a week to see what was THE most anticipated movie of my entire life - i was getting psyched for this thing the minute Batman Begins ended and every single bit of publicity and rumor i heard and saw about it over the course of the next few years did nothing but psyche me up even further - but i saw it. The Dark Knight.
and it was good.
the thing about hyped movies for me is that the more hyped they are, the more excited i get. the more excited i get, the more chance there is that i'm going to be let down. that's why i try to not let myself get too psyched up for a flick - i know that i'll most likely be let down. so i was SO psyched going in to The Dark Knight that i was SCARED. thankfully, it was good.
every bit as good as 2+ years of hype had led me to believe. and that's unbelievable.
this year has sure had some pure crap movies, and i maintain that 90% of what hollywood is shoveling out these days is crap, but The Dark Knight... wow. pure genius. the fact that it's making bank and breaking records - that America sees it for what it is: a GREAT FREAKING MOVIE - almost makes up for the fact that Meet the Spartans was the #1 movie the week it came out. ALMOST.
in this "review" i won't be spoiling too much (i'll be talking about wider strokes, not really too many specifics), but still, if you want to go in not knowing specifics, skip the next few paragraphs.
most of the following are excerpts from an email i sent to a friend a week after seeing the film:
***MINOR SPOILERS***
first minor complaint: there were so many characters to focus on, i think Bruce Wayne didn't get enough face time. i mean his story was that he might finally get to give up being Batman if Harvey Dent could become the white knight everyone wanted... but it just seemed a little thin. there could have been another scene or two just focusing on him.
second minor complaint: after the opening bank robbery scene (one of the best i've ever seen), the movie took a little bit for me to get into it. the "recap" (where they let us know what's been going on since we last saw these characters) was just a little too quick and neat for me. it was almost too tightly written, too sparse on details. however, it didn't last long and then soon i was dragged right into the world. i understand that the recap couldn't drag on too long because there was just so much more movie to come AFTER it, but it could have lingered a little longer.
...and that's pretty much it.
from the excellent portrayal of the Joker (maybe even the best, with Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns portrayal coming in second) to the story of Batman (the dark knight) and Harvey Dent/Two Face (the white knight) and the ending setting up the next movie - it just solidified what a good Batman story can be. and if they're out there, i want to read them now.
***END SPOILERS***
honestly, this was one of the most well written, acted, and directed movies i've ever seen. each scene topped the next one! i read in an interview that Nolan had SUCH a vision for the film that they only edited out like 10 minutes of footage. they didn't waste a drop! he knew what he wanted and he went for it. and it was near-perfect. maybe even perfect.
it's definitely my favorite superhero movie now (passing up Spider-Man 2 and Batman Begins) and yeah, i'm a little scared at how freaking good it was. i mean how can you pass it up - be it with Batman 3 or even any OTHER superhero movie to come? i guess you just try and realize that nothing will be as good as it and just go with it. some might think Spider-Man's morality stories are "silly" in comparison now, but Spider-Man 2 is still my second-favorite superhero movie - they're just different movies, by different crews. i guess that's how i have to approach superhero movies from now on. "to each their own."
speaking to this point, i watched the trailer from comic con for the new X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie and of COURSE it's going to be silly compared to The Dark Knight - however, it looked REALLY good (and i'm not a fan of Wolverine when he's on his own). so i guess i'm not too worried about comic book movies to come. i can take them on their own merits.
Batman 3 however has something to live up to. :)
i knew just how good DK was when i was sitting there watching the thing and said to myself "now i want to read the comics." seriously, this was the perfect Batman story.
the acting was SO good all around - Oldman, Caine, Ledger, Eckhart - that i think Bale got outshined, which was fine. and Heath Ledger. wow, what an actor. he truly embodied what the Joker really should be all about - chaos. and his X-rated portrayal in a PG-13 movie was unbelievable. he WAS the Joker. and it's just so sad we'll never get to see him again, in this or any other movie.
there's so much more i could say about the movie, but i think that's enough for now.
side note: why do you think the movie is making so much? i mean Batman Begins barely broke $150 mil at the box office. was it word of mouth after seeing Batman Begins? after seeing The Dark Knight? was it the advertising? did most people only see Begins on DVD? i think that could account for some of the popularity, but honestly it's got to be the fact that this is Heath Ledger's last performance. i swear, if it wasn't, the movie would probably be sitting at $50-100 mil less right now. i want to believe it's a testament to his great skills as an actor and not some morbid curiosity the public has to see his last performance. oh well. rant over.
The Dark Knight
4 stars out of 4
- best movie of 2008
- my favorite superhero movie so far
- one of my favorite movies of all time, period
it truly is a work of art.
-k
and it was good.
the thing about hyped movies for me is that the more hyped they are, the more excited i get. the more excited i get, the more chance there is that i'm going to be let down. that's why i try to not let myself get too psyched up for a flick - i know that i'll most likely be let down. so i was SO psyched going in to The Dark Knight that i was SCARED. thankfully, it was good.
every bit as good as 2+ years of hype had led me to believe. and that's unbelievable.
this year has sure had some pure crap movies, and i maintain that 90% of what hollywood is shoveling out these days is crap, but The Dark Knight... wow. pure genius. the fact that it's making bank and breaking records - that America sees it for what it is: a GREAT FREAKING MOVIE - almost makes up for the fact that Meet the Spartans was the #1 movie the week it came out. ALMOST.
in this "review" i won't be spoiling too much (i'll be talking about wider strokes, not really too many specifics), but still, if you want to go in not knowing specifics, skip the next few paragraphs.
most of the following are excerpts from an email i sent to a friend a week after seeing the film:
***MINOR SPOILERS***
first minor complaint: there were so many characters to focus on, i think Bruce Wayne didn't get enough face time. i mean his story was that he might finally get to give up being Batman if Harvey Dent could become the white knight everyone wanted... but it just seemed a little thin. there could have been another scene or two just focusing on him.
second minor complaint: after the opening bank robbery scene (one of the best i've ever seen), the movie took a little bit for me to get into it. the "recap" (where they let us know what's been going on since we last saw these characters) was just a little too quick and neat for me. it was almost too tightly written, too sparse on details. however, it didn't last long and then soon i was dragged right into the world. i understand that the recap couldn't drag on too long because there was just so much more movie to come AFTER it, but it could have lingered a little longer.
...and that's pretty much it.
from the excellent portrayal of the Joker (maybe even the best, with Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns portrayal coming in second) to the story of Batman (the dark knight) and Harvey Dent/Two Face (the white knight) and the ending setting up the next movie - it just solidified what a good Batman story can be. and if they're out there, i want to read them now.
***END SPOILERS***
honestly, this was one of the most well written, acted, and directed movies i've ever seen. each scene topped the next one! i read in an interview that Nolan had SUCH a vision for the film that they only edited out like 10 minutes of footage. they didn't waste a drop! he knew what he wanted and he went for it. and it was near-perfect. maybe even perfect.
it's definitely my favorite superhero movie now (passing up Spider-Man 2 and Batman Begins) and yeah, i'm a little scared at how freaking good it was. i mean how can you pass it up - be it with Batman 3 or even any OTHER superhero movie to come? i guess you just try and realize that nothing will be as good as it and just go with it. some might think Spider-Man's morality stories are "silly" in comparison now, but Spider-Man 2 is still my second-favorite superhero movie - they're just different movies, by different crews. i guess that's how i have to approach superhero movies from now on. "to each their own."
speaking to this point, i watched the trailer from comic con for the new X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie and of COURSE it's going to be silly compared to The Dark Knight - however, it looked REALLY good (and i'm not a fan of Wolverine when he's on his own). so i guess i'm not too worried about comic book movies to come. i can take them on their own merits.
Batman 3 however has something to live up to. :)
i knew just how good DK was when i was sitting there watching the thing and said to myself "now i want to read the comics." seriously, this was the perfect Batman story.
the acting was SO good all around - Oldman, Caine, Ledger, Eckhart - that i think Bale got outshined, which was fine. and Heath Ledger. wow, what an actor. he truly embodied what the Joker really should be all about - chaos. and his X-rated portrayal in a PG-13 movie was unbelievable. he WAS the Joker. and it's just so sad we'll never get to see him again, in this or any other movie.
there's so much more i could say about the movie, but i think that's enough for now.
side note: why do you think the movie is making so much? i mean Batman Begins barely broke $150 mil at the box office. was it word of mouth after seeing Batman Begins? after seeing The Dark Knight? was it the advertising? did most people only see Begins on DVD? i think that could account for some of the popularity, but honestly it's got to be the fact that this is Heath Ledger's last performance. i swear, if it wasn't, the movie would probably be sitting at $50-100 mil less right now. i want to believe it's a testament to his great skills as an actor and not some morbid curiosity the public has to see his last performance. oh well. rant over.
The Dark Knight
4 stars out of 4
- best movie of 2008
- my favorite superhero movie so far
- one of my favorite movies of all time, period
it truly is a work of art.
-k
Thursday, July 31
San Diego Comic Con - the reality
here we are, a week removed from the start of the 2008 San Diego Comic Con and it's time to put down in words what i experienced. to sum it up in two words, the San Diego Comic Con was crazy fun. crazy because of all the people and the countless things to do in a span of just 3 days. fun because it's nerd heaven and i got to hang out with some of my bestest of friends.
let's break down what has easily become one of my favorite extended weekends of my entire life.
Wednesday, 9:45pm
i depart for San Diego via Salt Lake City. why in the world Delta has me flying all the way to Salt Lake City first and THEN returning to San Diego i'll never know. all i know is that it was the cheapest flight i could get.
Thursday, 10:45am
i arrive in San Diego and meet up with Bill (my good friend from Phoenix) and Dave (one of my good friends i met in Vancouver). i quickly learn that Todd (another good friend from Vancouver) has not arrived yet (he should have arrived first). we end up waiting for him for over an hour. at the point when his plane finally lands we are hungry and hearing the call of nerd prom (the con).
noon-ish
we arrive at the hotel, drop our shit off, and head out to find some sustenance. as luck would have it, there is an excellent, EXCELLENT Mexican restaurant across the street. we eat up and head off for the trolly. see, since we booked our hotel sort of late in the game, we couldn't stay near the convention center, so we had to settle for a hotel a few miles away but right near the trolly that would take us to the con.
2pm
we finally arrive at the con. it is wonderous. there are people everywhere and it is only Thursday. the most packed days are to come. we hit the main exhibition hall floor and just walk around in a stupor. Bill and i manage to buy some toy exclusives (available only at this year's con), but otherwise we just sort of wander around.
3pm
Diego (the third and final friend from Vancouver) calls us and lets us know that he's arrived. we meet up with him and Outsourced Games (+ Bill) is reunited for the first time in a year and a half. it's great seeing everyone. if i were a girl i would have cried.
3:30-7pm
we all wander around the main floor - sometimes together, sometimes by ourselves - and just get lost in the nerdiness. no panels were attended. oh, and Dave showed off Saints Row 2 (there were surprisingly a lot of video game publishers showing off their wares at the con - probably because E3 was the week previous and was just up in LA).
the main floor is divided into several areas. first are the big companies giving away free stuff and showing off their wares. next are the artists and creators that aren't necessarily affiliated with any big company showing off their wares. and finally there's the retailers selling a bunch of shit. at the Chicago Comic Con (the only other one i've been to) the space was pretty evenly divided. this time around it seemed like more room was given to the big companies, followed by the small companies, and then the retailers. i was actually expecting a few more retailers. oh well.
7pm
we all 5 leave the con and grab a bite to eat in San Diego's Gaslamp District (right across the street from the convention center). the place reminded me of Vancouver sort of, but with even more bars and a little more upscale. we find a hole in the wall bar and get some bar food.
8pm
at this point Dave, Bill and i are pretty much done. our legs are tired from all the walking and we just want to head back to the room. Todd and Diego however want to head back to the con for some nighttime entertainment - there were a few panels they wanted to see. so we go our separate ways. Dave, Bill and i catch a cab back (too tired to walk the 10+ blocks back to the trolly station), grab a case of beer from a nearby liquor store, and drink, talk, and watch TV.
12-1pm
Todd and Diego return. we call it a night. Day 1 is a wrap.
Friday, 8:30am
we all get up and get ready for the day.
10am
we head across the street for some Mexican breakfast. and a beef taco. oh man is it good.
11:30-noon
we arrive at the con. we walk around for a while, trying to decide what to do. we finally split up, with Dave and i checking out the line for the Spaced panel. surprise surprise, the line is long.
now it's time to take a time out and explain something about the panels at SDCC that i didn't know going in. ok, so at SDCC you can attend one panel early in the day and then squat in the room until the panel you want to see comes up. you never have to leave the room! it's unbelievable. on top of that, they scheduled some of the MAJOR panels in the smallest of rooms! i wasn't able to see Spaced, MST3K, or JMS because of this screw up! so next year i'll know NOT to plan to see any big panels in small rooms and learn to squat in a room earlier in the day if there's an awesome panel i want to see later.
12:30-1:30pm
ok, so we got screwed out of seeing Spaced. that's fine, because there's ALWAYS another panel to see. so Dave, Bill (he met up with us) and i went to see the Spectacular Spider-Man panel (even though they'd never really seen the show). it was great. a lot of the voice actors were there and the creators were there too. it was a great panel with a good balance of questions from the moderator and from the audience. got to see a bit from season 2 and learned it won't be on until next year! oh well. i still love you Spectacular Spider-Man.
1:30-4:45pm
Dave, Bill and i hit the main floor and again got pretty lost in it all. to be honest, i can't exactly remember what happened. we probably hung out for a while, then split up, then got back together again. i know we took a look at some of the retailer booths. got another exclusive toy. Bill went off to meet up with some other friends for the rest of the day.
4:45-6:30pm
i split off on my own to check out the 24 panel. it started at 5:30, so i knew to arrive early and stand in line. i got up there (2nd floor, almost all the panels were on the 2nd floor) and there was already a pretty long line. no big deal i thought, the room was plenty big.
well, i barely got in. i'd say that at least HALF the people in this huge room (the third largest at the con) didn't leave from the panel before. damn squatters. anyway, maybe 50 people after me were let in and that was it. there was AT LEAST 300 more people after that that didn't make it in. that's nuts.
anyway, i got in and it was a great panel. Kiefer was there - along with the guy that plays Tony Almada and a bunch of the writers and producers - and they showed off clips from the season 7 prequel movie (airing in November) and talked about the upcoming season. basically they got me all excited for 24 again. i really think the year off did them some good. at least it sounds like it. oh and man was Kiefer awesome. he said it was his first time at the con. glad i got to see it.
6:30-7:30pm
met up with Dave, Diego, and Todd. we decide to take off and get some supper. after a lot of walking around and not finding what we wanted, we decide to grab a pair of bike taxis to take us to a fish market that's a little ways away. now, these are guys that have a cart for 2-3 people that they pull behind them on a bike. it's sort of like a modern-day rickshaw. so we get a price estimate on it and we all hear the guy say "two ninety-five." everyone but me thinks we're only paying $2.95 a person, but i'm worried that's WAY not enough and that he's going to charge us $295 for the 4 of us. so the entire ride there i'm completely nervous. we get there and he wants $25 per cab (so $50 total). we argue but i guess when we all heard "two ninety-five" what it really was was "twenty five." haha. whatever. at least it wasn't $295.
7:30-9:15pm
we eat at this really great fish market place right on the water. i've never been a seafood guy, but ever since Vancouver i've been a lot more willing to try foods, and being back with my Vancouver crew i felt it only appropriate to try something new - so i ordered the swordfish. freshly caught by the restaurant that morning. $30. oh my GOD was it good. also tried for the first time clam chowder (holy shit was it creamy) and boiled peel-and-eat shrimp. not a big fan of the shrimp. but the rest was excellent. even the creme brulee.
9:15-10:20pm
Todd was going to leave us to hang out with some Vegas friends in town for the con, so Diego, Dave and i had to decide what we wanted to do with the rest of the night. well, none of us had seen The Dark Knight yet, so we decided that's what we'd do.
oh what an adventure it was.
we all 4 grab a cab back to the Gas Light District. we tell the cabby to take us to the movie theater in the Gas Light District. he drops us off pointing a block away saying that the theater is there. ok, so Dave, Diego and i split off from Todd and go check it out. nope, no theater there. we walk around a bit more and finally ask someone. they tell us the theater is 5 blocks up, not even close to where the cabby told us it would be. ok, so we begrudgingly walk the 5 blocks and come to a theater. in the ticket window is a sign that says:
sorry, we're not showing The Dark Knight. try the so-and-so theater a few blocks up.
we ask the guy at the ticket counter where the theater is and he says it's only 2 blocks up, 1 block over. so off we go. in retrospect, we should have asked WHY they weren't showing the #1 movie in the country, but oh well. we get to the theater, get our tickets for the 10:20 showing (next showing was an hour later - at least we lucked out at something that night) and got ready for The Dark Knight. FINALLY!
10:20pm-1am
Dave, Diego and i watch what is:
- the best movie of this year
- my favorite comic book movie of all time
- one of my favorite movies all around
The Dark Knight does not disappoint. but that's for another post altogether.
we grab a cab back to the hotel (the trolly shut down at midnight, and besides, it was at least 20 blocks away from where we were at that point) and are greeted by Todd and Bill when we get back. we all talk a bit and then turn in for the night. end Day 2.
Saturday, 9-11am
we get ready for the day and head down for a free breakfast at the hotel. then we hit the trolly and head to the con.
11:45am-3:15pm
we arrive at the con and all head into the Dean Koontz panel. Dean Koontz used to be my favorite writer in high school, so to hear him speak in person was really awesome. half the panel was a prepared speech which consisted of personal stories that were rather humorous and the other half was questions from the audience that were pretty good. overall it was a blast. i really should start reading his stuff again.
then Todd, Dave and i became the very thing we hated: squatters. see, the Battlestar Galactica panel was in the very same room only an hour away, and if we were to leave, we'd have to get in a no-doubt HUGE line to get back in, so we stayed. we saw the Dollhouse panel with Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku, and Hilo from Battlestar. the Dollhouse is a show coming out on FOX this January and, well, the panel made me a believer. i'll check it out.
FINALLY the Battlestar panel started and wow, a ton of the stars/creators were there:
- Ronald D. Moore, the creator/writer
- the main producer
- Tricia Helfer/Six
- Gaius Baltar
- Starbuck
- Starbuck's husband
- Lee Adama (wasn't scheduled to be there)
- Hilo (wasn't scheduled to be there)
oh, and it was moderated by Kevin Smith.
anyway, it was really great seeing all of them and hearing them talk about Battlestar - especially since it just wrapped up shooting a few weeks ago. unfortunately there were too many stars on the panel and not enough time. i think the moderator should have kicked it to the audience sooner because there was hardly any Q&A with the audience. panel should have been 2 hours instead of 1. oh well. got to see a longer teaser for season 4.5 (not coming out until 2009) and a trailer for Caprica, the prequel series. looking good! and Eric Stoltz to boot!
3:15-4:30pm
well, it was time to hit the main floor finally for the first time that day and pick up some more toy exclusives. Dave and Todd were with me, and we eventually met up with Bill. now, Bill was leaving us at 6pm to head back to Phoenix so i decided to grab a bite to eat with him, Todd and Dave before he left. i missed the JMS panel for this, but it's no big deal. JMS was in one of the small rooms. i'm sure i wouldn't have gotten in.
4:30-6pm
Todd, Dave, Bill and i grab a bite to eat at a Mexi-American bar a few blocks from the convention center. food was ok, beer was good. we had a good last meal with Bill. we said our goodbyes and Todd, Dave and i were off to the con for my last hour there.
6-7pm
i hit the floor one last time by myself and look around for any last minute purchases. i find one last exclusive toy that had alluded me up until then. finally, it's time to say goodbye to the con.
7pm-1am?
Todd, Dave and i head off in search of a bar to hang out for the rest of the night in. we happen upon Jolt N Joes (or something like that) and it's just perfect. we spend a good chunk of the night at the bar, then Diego joins us, and so do a few of Todd's Vegas friends, and we head upstairs to hang out. we have some more drinks and i do some drunk texting to Bill. ah, good times. it's a great blowout to end San Diego 2008.
2am?
we're back at our hotel. i promptly pass out.
Sunday, 8:30-9:30am
i somehow get up and ready for my flight at 11:30. i say my goodbyes to Dave, Diego, and Todd, have the hotel call me a cab and i'm off.
goodbye San Diego.
Epilogue
we've been talking since we've been back and everyone wants to make this a yearly thing. so watch out San Diego! come next year, we'll be back with a vengeance! and maybe we'll know what we're doing this time. like maybe we'll grab a hotel that's right there next to the convention center. oh! and we'll know all about squatting.
CRAZY FUN!!!
-k
ps - those that know me, watch out for pics. and i might do a post on the toys i got... though i don't want to seem too nerdy.
TOO LATE.
let's break down what has easily become one of my favorite extended weekends of my entire life.
Wednesday, 9:45pm
i depart for San Diego via Salt Lake City. why in the world Delta has me flying all the way to Salt Lake City first and THEN returning to San Diego i'll never know. all i know is that it was the cheapest flight i could get.
Thursday, 10:45am
i arrive in San Diego and meet up with Bill (my good friend from Phoenix) and Dave (one of my good friends i met in Vancouver). i quickly learn that Todd (another good friend from Vancouver) has not arrived yet (he should have arrived first). we end up waiting for him for over an hour. at the point when his plane finally lands we are hungry and hearing the call of nerd prom (the con).
noon-ish
we arrive at the hotel, drop our shit off, and head out to find some sustenance. as luck would have it, there is an excellent, EXCELLENT Mexican restaurant across the street. we eat up and head off for the trolly. see, since we booked our hotel sort of late in the game, we couldn't stay near the convention center, so we had to settle for a hotel a few miles away but right near the trolly that would take us to the con.
2pm
we finally arrive at the con. it is wonderous. there are people everywhere and it is only Thursday. the most packed days are to come. we hit the main exhibition hall floor and just walk around in a stupor. Bill and i manage to buy some toy exclusives (available only at this year's con), but otherwise we just sort of wander around.
3pm
Diego (the third and final friend from Vancouver) calls us and lets us know that he's arrived. we meet up with him and Outsourced Games (+ Bill) is reunited for the first time in a year and a half. it's great seeing everyone. if i were a girl i would have cried.
3:30-7pm
we all wander around the main floor - sometimes together, sometimes by ourselves - and just get lost in the nerdiness. no panels were attended. oh, and Dave showed off Saints Row 2 (there were surprisingly a lot of video game publishers showing off their wares at the con - probably because E3 was the week previous and was just up in LA).
the main floor is divided into several areas. first are the big companies giving away free stuff and showing off their wares. next are the artists and creators that aren't necessarily affiliated with any big company showing off their wares. and finally there's the retailers selling a bunch of shit. at the Chicago Comic Con (the only other one i've been to) the space was pretty evenly divided. this time around it seemed like more room was given to the big companies, followed by the small companies, and then the retailers. i was actually expecting a few more retailers. oh well.
7pm
we all 5 leave the con and grab a bite to eat in San Diego's Gaslamp District (right across the street from the convention center). the place reminded me of Vancouver sort of, but with even more bars and a little more upscale. we find a hole in the wall bar and get some bar food.
8pm
at this point Dave, Bill and i are pretty much done. our legs are tired from all the walking and we just want to head back to the room. Todd and Diego however want to head back to the con for some nighttime entertainment - there were a few panels they wanted to see. so we go our separate ways. Dave, Bill and i catch a cab back (too tired to walk the 10+ blocks back to the trolly station), grab a case of beer from a nearby liquor store, and drink, talk, and watch TV.
12-1pm
Todd and Diego return. we call it a night. Day 1 is a wrap.
Friday, 8:30am
we all get up and get ready for the day.
10am
we head across the street for some Mexican breakfast. and a beef taco. oh man is it good.
11:30-noon
we arrive at the con. we walk around for a while, trying to decide what to do. we finally split up, with Dave and i checking out the line for the Spaced panel. surprise surprise, the line is long.
now it's time to take a time out and explain something about the panels at SDCC that i didn't know going in. ok, so at SDCC you can attend one panel early in the day and then squat in the room until the panel you want to see comes up. you never have to leave the room! it's unbelievable. on top of that, they scheduled some of the MAJOR panels in the smallest of rooms! i wasn't able to see Spaced, MST3K, or JMS because of this screw up! so next year i'll know NOT to plan to see any big panels in small rooms and learn to squat in a room earlier in the day if there's an awesome panel i want to see later.
12:30-1:30pm
ok, so we got screwed out of seeing Spaced. that's fine, because there's ALWAYS another panel to see. so Dave, Bill (he met up with us) and i went to see the Spectacular Spider-Man panel (even though they'd never really seen the show). it was great. a lot of the voice actors were there and the creators were there too. it was a great panel with a good balance of questions from the moderator and from the audience. got to see a bit from season 2 and learned it won't be on until next year! oh well. i still love you Spectacular Spider-Man.
1:30-4:45pm
Dave, Bill and i hit the main floor and again got pretty lost in it all. to be honest, i can't exactly remember what happened. we probably hung out for a while, then split up, then got back together again. i know we took a look at some of the retailer booths. got another exclusive toy. Bill went off to meet up with some other friends for the rest of the day.
4:45-6:30pm
i split off on my own to check out the 24 panel. it started at 5:30, so i knew to arrive early and stand in line. i got up there (2nd floor, almost all the panels were on the 2nd floor) and there was already a pretty long line. no big deal i thought, the room was plenty big.
well, i barely got in. i'd say that at least HALF the people in this huge room (the third largest at the con) didn't leave from the panel before. damn squatters. anyway, maybe 50 people after me were let in and that was it. there was AT LEAST 300 more people after that that didn't make it in. that's nuts.
anyway, i got in and it was a great panel. Kiefer was there - along with the guy that plays Tony Almada and a bunch of the writers and producers - and they showed off clips from the season 7 prequel movie (airing in November) and talked about the upcoming season. basically they got me all excited for 24 again. i really think the year off did them some good. at least it sounds like it. oh and man was Kiefer awesome. he said it was his first time at the con. glad i got to see it.
6:30-7:30pm
met up with Dave, Diego, and Todd. we decide to take off and get some supper. after a lot of walking around and not finding what we wanted, we decide to grab a pair of bike taxis to take us to a fish market that's a little ways away. now, these are guys that have a cart for 2-3 people that they pull behind them on a bike. it's sort of like a modern-day rickshaw. so we get a price estimate on it and we all hear the guy say "two ninety-five." everyone but me thinks we're only paying $2.95 a person, but i'm worried that's WAY not enough and that he's going to charge us $295 for the 4 of us. so the entire ride there i'm completely nervous. we get there and he wants $25 per cab (so $50 total). we argue but i guess when we all heard "two ninety-five" what it really was was "twenty five." haha. whatever. at least it wasn't $295.
7:30-9:15pm
we eat at this really great fish market place right on the water. i've never been a seafood guy, but ever since Vancouver i've been a lot more willing to try foods, and being back with my Vancouver crew i felt it only appropriate to try something new - so i ordered the swordfish. freshly caught by the restaurant that morning. $30. oh my GOD was it good. also tried for the first time clam chowder (holy shit was it creamy) and boiled peel-and-eat shrimp. not a big fan of the shrimp. but the rest was excellent. even the creme brulee.
9:15-10:20pm
Todd was going to leave us to hang out with some Vegas friends in town for the con, so Diego, Dave and i had to decide what we wanted to do with the rest of the night. well, none of us had seen The Dark Knight yet, so we decided that's what we'd do.
oh what an adventure it was.
we all 4 grab a cab back to the Gas Light District. we tell the cabby to take us to the movie theater in the Gas Light District. he drops us off pointing a block away saying that the theater is there. ok, so Dave, Diego and i split off from Todd and go check it out. nope, no theater there. we walk around a bit more and finally ask someone. they tell us the theater is 5 blocks up, not even close to where the cabby told us it would be. ok, so we begrudgingly walk the 5 blocks and come to a theater. in the ticket window is a sign that says:
sorry, we're not showing The Dark Knight. try the so-and-so theater a few blocks up.
we ask the guy at the ticket counter where the theater is and he says it's only 2 blocks up, 1 block over. so off we go. in retrospect, we should have asked WHY they weren't showing the #1 movie in the country, but oh well. we get to the theater, get our tickets for the 10:20 showing (next showing was an hour later - at least we lucked out at something that night) and got ready for The Dark Knight. FINALLY!
10:20pm-1am
Dave, Diego and i watch what is:
- the best movie of this year
- my favorite comic book movie of all time
- one of my favorite movies all around
The Dark Knight does not disappoint. but that's for another post altogether.
we grab a cab back to the hotel (the trolly shut down at midnight, and besides, it was at least 20 blocks away from where we were at that point) and are greeted by Todd and Bill when we get back. we all talk a bit and then turn in for the night. end Day 2.
Saturday, 9-11am
we get ready for the day and head down for a free breakfast at the hotel. then we hit the trolly and head to the con.
11:45am-3:15pm
we arrive at the con and all head into the Dean Koontz panel. Dean Koontz used to be my favorite writer in high school, so to hear him speak in person was really awesome. half the panel was a prepared speech which consisted of personal stories that were rather humorous and the other half was questions from the audience that were pretty good. overall it was a blast. i really should start reading his stuff again.
then Todd, Dave and i became the very thing we hated: squatters. see, the Battlestar Galactica panel was in the very same room only an hour away, and if we were to leave, we'd have to get in a no-doubt HUGE line to get back in, so we stayed. we saw the Dollhouse panel with Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku, and Hilo from Battlestar. the Dollhouse is a show coming out on FOX this January and, well, the panel made me a believer. i'll check it out.
FINALLY the Battlestar panel started and wow, a ton of the stars/creators were there:
- Ronald D. Moore, the creator/writer
- the main producer
- Tricia Helfer/Six
- Gaius Baltar
- Starbuck
- Starbuck's husband
- Lee Adama (wasn't scheduled to be there)
- Hilo (wasn't scheduled to be there)
oh, and it was moderated by Kevin Smith.
anyway, it was really great seeing all of them and hearing them talk about Battlestar - especially since it just wrapped up shooting a few weeks ago. unfortunately there were too many stars on the panel and not enough time. i think the moderator should have kicked it to the audience sooner because there was hardly any Q&A with the audience. panel should have been 2 hours instead of 1. oh well. got to see a longer teaser for season 4.5 (not coming out until 2009) and a trailer for Caprica, the prequel series. looking good! and Eric Stoltz to boot!
3:15-4:30pm
well, it was time to hit the main floor finally for the first time that day and pick up some more toy exclusives. Dave and Todd were with me, and we eventually met up with Bill. now, Bill was leaving us at 6pm to head back to Phoenix so i decided to grab a bite to eat with him, Todd and Dave before he left. i missed the JMS panel for this, but it's no big deal. JMS was in one of the small rooms. i'm sure i wouldn't have gotten in.
4:30-6pm
Todd, Dave, Bill and i grab a bite to eat at a Mexi-American bar a few blocks from the convention center. food was ok, beer was good. we had a good last meal with Bill. we said our goodbyes and Todd, Dave and i were off to the con for my last hour there.
6-7pm
i hit the floor one last time by myself and look around for any last minute purchases. i find one last exclusive toy that had alluded me up until then. finally, it's time to say goodbye to the con.
7pm-1am?
Todd, Dave and i head off in search of a bar to hang out for the rest of the night in. we happen upon Jolt N Joes (or something like that) and it's just perfect. we spend a good chunk of the night at the bar, then Diego joins us, and so do a few of Todd's Vegas friends, and we head upstairs to hang out. we have some more drinks and i do some drunk texting to Bill. ah, good times. it's a great blowout to end San Diego 2008.
2am?
we're back at our hotel. i promptly pass out.
Sunday, 8:30-9:30am
i somehow get up and ready for my flight at 11:30. i say my goodbyes to Dave, Diego, and Todd, have the hotel call me a cab and i'm off.
goodbye San Diego.
Epilogue
we've been talking since we've been back and everyone wants to make this a yearly thing. so watch out San Diego! come next year, we'll be back with a vengeance! and maybe we'll know what we're doing this time. like maybe we'll grab a hotel that's right there next to the convention center. oh! and we'll know all about squatting.
CRAZY FUN!!!
-k
ps - those that know me, watch out for pics. and i might do a post on the toys i got... though i don't want to seem too nerdy.
TOO LATE.
Tuesday, July 22
San Diego Comic Con - the panels wish list
the San Diego Comic Con is but a few days away. it's my first year attending. i don't think i've been this excited for an event in a long time. here are the panels that, if i had all the time in the world, i would like to see while there:
- spotlight on Steve Purcell, creator of Sam & Max, now part of the creative braintrust at Pixar.
- a few panels on science fiction writing (if you've been reading the blog, i've been on a sci fi kick the past several months).
- Halo Wars and the Halo Universe. what can i say, i'm a Halo fanboy. also, with the ball being dropped by Microsoft last week at E3, maybe something will slip out this week about the new Halo game Bungie's working on.
- Entertainment Weekly is sponsoring a few panels that feature "creative visionaries" in fields such as comics and movies. the comics one is going to have Mignola, Kirkman, and Morrison. the movies one is going to have Kevin Smith, Apatow, Frank Miller, and Zack Snyder.
- bunch of Star Trek panels.
- Episodic Games: Rewriting the Adventure Game. a panel about a rather new trend in video games. i'm interested because of the talent at the panel.
- a bunch of Marvel Comics panels, though not as many as i would have been interested in attending in the past. i'm just not reading that many mainstream comics nowadays.
- a bunch of television show panels that will feature some/all of the cast and creators/producers. shows include: The Big Bang Theory, 24 (with Kiefer!), Heroes, Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Office, Battlestar Galactica, and Chuck.
- spotlight on Max Brooks, author of World War Z (perhaps my favorite work of zombie fiction).
- one on one with Terry Moore, author of Strangers in Paradise, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, Echo, and Runaways. SiP has been over for a year now, but maybe he'll talk about it a little... however, i'm really going just to get some news on Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane.
- Watchmen (the movie) with the director and a bunch of the movie's stars. i'm psyched for this movie, since the director did 300 before this.
- a Spaced reunion, with the creators/cast. Spaced is one of my favorite shows of all time. from the guys that made Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. as good as those movies are, Spaced is 10 times better.
- a Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon panel with a lot of the voice actors and a few producers of the show. this is at the same time as the Spaced panel, so we'll have to see which one has the shorter line to get in. i want season 2 details!!!
- Ghostbusters: The Video Game panel, with Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson. if by some stroke of god Ramis and Murray show up, i will die a happy man (IF i'm there to see it).
- The Spirit panel, with director Frank Miller and cast members SAMUEL L. JACKSON and Eva Mendes. movie looks like the spiritual successor to Sin City. looks good.
- a Family Guy panel. even though i don't really like Family Guy anymore (the formula wore thin on me after the third season), i have to admit, it'd be pretty cool to hear Seth MacFarlane and Seth Green talk about the show.
- an Image and Vertigo panel. more comic panels. mainly interested in them because each panel has a few of my favorite writers/creators on them (Kirkman, Larsen, Buckingham, Morrison, Wood).
- a Venture Bros. panel with the creator and some of the cast. great, underrated cartoon airing on adult swim.
- a Robot Chicken panel with the creators and a few of the cast members. another adult swim program. would mainly go to see Seth Green talk.
- a Futurama panel with a bunch of the cast and crew. always been a casual fan of the show, would be neat to see the cast.
- Sam & Max, Strong Bad, and the Secrets Behind Turning Comics into Games. interesting because, well, i'm in the games business.
- spotlight on Dean Koontz! those that know me well know that i grew up on Koontz novels, reading them all through high school. his latest novels haven't interested me much - maybe my tastes just evolved - but he is still the writer of one of my favorite books of all time, Lightning. even though he'll be talking about his new books and new comic deal with Marvel (i.e. stuff i won't care about) it'll still be cool to see one of my former idols.
- Xbox Creators' Showcase: Gears of War 2 and Fable 2. 2 great games coming out this fall, both being shown off by their semi-famous creators. would be neat to see. hey, maybe i'll have my own panel at SDCC 10 years from now! ah, but as a game designer, or as a writer? hmm...
- spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski. one of my current writing idols. still can't believe that he was at a Chicago comic con back 10 years ago when B5 was in its hayday and i didn't see him (hell, i didn't even know who he was, or what B5 was). this time, i won't miss him. this is the panel i'm probably most excited to see.
- a panel on the creation of the upcoming survival horror game, Dead Space.
- A STARSHIP TROOPERS 3 PANEL! FEATURING NONE OTHER THAN THE STAR OF THE SERIES, CASPER VAN DIEN!!!
- a panel on the creation of the upcoming Bionic Commando and Bionic Commando Rearmed.
nighttime programming:
- Comedy Central's TV Funhouse with Robert Smigel. some of you may have heard of Smigel - he does Triumph the Insult Comic Dog on Conan and Saturday TV Funhouse on SNL - but i know him best for this short-lived, wonder of a show called TV Funhouse. it's a reunion of sorts. should be a blast (whether or not i choose to go).
- Mystery Science Theater 3000 20th Anniversary Reunion. with the creator, producer, and i believe the entire f'in cast/crew! and Patton Oswalt is the host!! ENOUGH SAID!!!
- Spaced screening. the cast is back to screen their favorite episodes. if i don't make it to the earlier panel, i'm definitely hitting this one up.
...and that's it! whew! now, that's all the panels that i WANT to see. i would be surprised if i actually make it to 1/4 of those.
i mean, first off, this is my first year at SDCC, so i'm sure a lot of time will be just figuring the whole thing out. i also need at least a day to just walk the floor and buy stuff/get a bunch of free shit. next, the lines for some of these panels i'm sure will be INSANE. some i'll be willing to wait for, most i won't. oh, and a lot of the above panels are happening at the same time - like i think the worst is there are 4 panels i want to see that overlap in a 2-hour period. so i can only go to 1 of those 4 panels, if that. and finally, i'm going to be meeting up with a bunch of friends i haven't seen in a while, so i'm sure i won't want to spend the majority of my time in panels (or in line for panels).
however, there are those that i'll do everything in my power to make. i need to see JMS, Dean Koontz, MST3K, Spaced, Terry Moore, Max Brooks, and maybe Spectacular Spider-Man. oh, and it'd be great to attend a few of those TV show panels - specifically 24, Battlestar, and Heros - but i imagine the line for those will be crazy long. crazy crazy long.
i'll let you know how it all went on the flip side. wish me luck!
-k
- spotlight on Steve Purcell, creator of Sam & Max, now part of the creative braintrust at Pixar.
- a few panels on science fiction writing (if you've been reading the blog, i've been on a sci fi kick the past several months).
- Halo Wars and the Halo Universe. what can i say, i'm a Halo fanboy. also, with the ball being dropped by Microsoft last week at E3, maybe something will slip out this week about the new Halo game Bungie's working on.
- Entertainment Weekly is sponsoring a few panels that feature "creative visionaries" in fields such as comics and movies. the comics one is going to have Mignola, Kirkman, and Morrison. the movies one is going to have Kevin Smith, Apatow, Frank Miller, and Zack Snyder.
- bunch of Star Trek panels.
- Episodic Games: Rewriting the Adventure Game. a panel about a rather new trend in video games. i'm interested because of the talent at the panel.
- a bunch of Marvel Comics panels, though not as many as i would have been interested in attending in the past. i'm just not reading that many mainstream comics nowadays.
- a bunch of television show panels that will feature some/all of the cast and creators/producers. shows include: The Big Bang Theory, 24 (with Kiefer!), Heroes, Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Office, Battlestar Galactica, and Chuck.
- spotlight on Max Brooks, author of World War Z (perhaps my favorite work of zombie fiction).
- one on one with Terry Moore, author of Strangers in Paradise, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, Echo, and Runaways. SiP has been over for a year now, but maybe he'll talk about it a little... however, i'm really going just to get some news on Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane.
- Watchmen (the movie) with the director and a bunch of the movie's stars. i'm psyched for this movie, since the director did 300 before this.
- a Spaced reunion, with the creators/cast. Spaced is one of my favorite shows of all time. from the guys that made Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. as good as those movies are, Spaced is 10 times better.
- a Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon panel with a lot of the voice actors and a few producers of the show. this is at the same time as the Spaced panel, so we'll have to see which one has the shorter line to get in. i want season 2 details!!!
- Ghostbusters: The Video Game panel, with Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson. if by some stroke of god Ramis and Murray show up, i will die a happy man (IF i'm there to see it).
- The Spirit panel, with director Frank Miller and cast members SAMUEL L. JACKSON and Eva Mendes. movie looks like the spiritual successor to Sin City. looks good.
- a Family Guy panel. even though i don't really like Family Guy anymore (the formula wore thin on me after the third season), i have to admit, it'd be pretty cool to hear Seth MacFarlane and Seth Green talk about the show.
- an Image and Vertigo panel. more comic panels. mainly interested in them because each panel has a few of my favorite writers/creators on them (Kirkman, Larsen, Buckingham, Morrison, Wood).
- a Venture Bros. panel with the creator and some of the cast. great, underrated cartoon airing on adult swim.
- a Robot Chicken panel with the creators and a few of the cast members. another adult swim program. would mainly go to see Seth Green talk.
- a Futurama panel with a bunch of the cast and crew. always been a casual fan of the show, would be neat to see the cast.
- Sam & Max, Strong Bad, and the Secrets Behind Turning Comics into Games. interesting because, well, i'm in the games business.
- spotlight on Dean Koontz! those that know me well know that i grew up on Koontz novels, reading them all through high school. his latest novels haven't interested me much - maybe my tastes just evolved - but he is still the writer of one of my favorite books of all time, Lightning. even though he'll be talking about his new books and new comic deal with Marvel (i.e. stuff i won't care about) it'll still be cool to see one of my former idols.
- Xbox Creators' Showcase: Gears of War 2 and Fable 2. 2 great games coming out this fall, both being shown off by their semi-famous creators. would be neat to see. hey, maybe i'll have my own panel at SDCC 10 years from now! ah, but as a game designer, or as a writer? hmm...
- spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski. one of my current writing idols. still can't believe that he was at a Chicago comic con back 10 years ago when B5 was in its hayday and i didn't see him (hell, i didn't even know who he was, or what B5 was). this time, i won't miss him. this is the panel i'm probably most excited to see.
- a panel on the creation of the upcoming survival horror game, Dead Space.
- A STARSHIP TROOPERS 3 PANEL! FEATURING NONE OTHER THAN THE STAR OF THE SERIES, CASPER VAN DIEN!!!
- a panel on the creation of the upcoming Bionic Commando and Bionic Commando Rearmed.
nighttime programming:
- Comedy Central's TV Funhouse with Robert Smigel. some of you may have heard of Smigel - he does Triumph the Insult Comic Dog on Conan and Saturday TV Funhouse on SNL - but i know him best for this short-lived, wonder of a show called TV Funhouse. it's a reunion of sorts. should be a blast (whether or not i choose to go).
- Mystery Science Theater 3000 20th Anniversary Reunion. with the creator, producer, and i believe the entire f'in cast/crew! and Patton Oswalt is the host!! ENOUGH SAID!!!
- Spaced screening. the cast is back to screen their favorite episodes. if i don't make it to the earlier panel, i'm definitely hitting this one up.
...and that's it! whew! now, that's all the panels that i WANT to see. i would be surprised if i actually make it to 1/4 of those.
i mean, first off, this is my first year at SDCC, so i'm sure a lot of time will be just figuring the whole thing out. i also need at least a day to just walk the floor and buy stuff/get a bunch of free shit. next, the lines for some of these panels i'm sure will be INSANE. some i'll be willing to wait for, most i won't. oh, and a lot of the above panels are happening at the same time - like i think the worst is there are 4 panels i want to see that overlap in a 2-hour period. so i can only go to 1 of those 4 panels, if that. and finally, i'm going to be meeting up with a bunch of friends i haven't seen in a while, so i'm sure i won't want to spend the majority of my time in panels (or in line for panels).
however, there are those that i'll do everything in my power to make. i need to see JMS, Dean Koontz, MST3K, Spaced, Terry Moore, Max Brooks, and maybe Spectacular Spider-Man. oh, and it'd be great to attend a few of those TV show panels - specifically 24, Battlestar, and Heros - but i imagine the line for those will be crazy long. crazy crazy long.
i'll let you know how it all went on the flip side. wish me luck!
-k
Thursday, July 17
E3 2008
E3 has become a shadow of its former self the past couple of years, but with all the great games coming out, it was pretty hard to tell this year. here's some of my thoughts on E3 2008.
- Microsoft shocked everyone when they announced Final Fantasy XIII was headed to their platform as well as PS3. this is the second major game Sony lost exclusivity on from last gen to this gen (the other being Grand Theft Auto) and i've gotta admit, i feel bad for Sony. i'm not mad at Square for pimping out their product (this generation, it's hard to stay exclusive to a console with the high costs of production), i'm just sort of upset at Sony for letting Final Fantasy slip through their fingers. oh well. good game Microsoft.
- Bungie (makers of Halo, one of my favorite franchises) had been set to announce something at E3 for MONTHS. then, at the last minute, Microsoft decided to pull the plug saying that they had already shown off enough and they wanted to save the Bungie announcement. supposedly it's another game taking place in the Halo universe, but whatever it is, Microsoft totally dropped the ball. Bungie had been planning this, the fans (who are pretty rabid when it comes to Bungie) had been gearing up for it, and then POOF - nothing. stupid Microsoft. we're still with you Bungie!
- the Xbox 360 updated dashboard is looking pretty sweet. sort of a mix of CD cover shuffle on the ipod, Microsoft Vista windows, and the old dashboard.
- NOT liking how Microsoft is copying Nintendo with their avatars (blatant ripoffs of Miis) and worried that they're trying to reach out to everyone at once and will end up not reaching anyone.
- Microsoft and Netflix partner up to offer movies on your 360 for free (if you have a Netflix account). might be time to get a Netflix account. something about having a queue of movies that i don't have to wait for to come in the mail intrigues me.
- Nintendo starts to disappoint even their most hardcore fans! FINALLY! first they announce the Wii MotionPlus add-on for the Wii Remote (at a $30 value) that basically makes the Wiimote do WHAT IT WAS ORIGINALLY ADVERTISED TO DO! wow. then, at their press conference, they completely snubbed their core fans in favor of their new casual fans. WiiMusic? are you serious? that's not a game, that's play - further proving my point that the Nintendo Wii is nothing more than a toy. hey, if a toy is what you want, that's fine. to each his own. me, i'm just glad i jumped off Nintendo's bandwagon a few years back, otherwise this E3 would have KILLED me.
- Sony had a pretty good showing this year (i'm very excited to see where their first-party titles and PlayStation Network titles are going), but most the third party titles showing up on 360 and PS3 decided to show their wares at Microsoft's press conference instead of Sony's. that, and the fact that Sony lost exclusivity on FFXIII, made their showing a little sad. they keep asking us to wait just a little longer for the games to come out. well, i'm waiting.
- never played the originals, but Fallout 3 looks AMAZING.
- Mirror's Edge looks like it might give me motion sickness, but i think it'll be worth it for the amazing, original experience it seems like it's going to offer.
- might get Ghostbusters: The Video Game simply for the fact that Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis wrote the script (from what was to be the third, never-made movie) and that all 4 Ghostbuters are back lending their voices to the game.
- both a James Bond movie AND video game look great? what is this, 1996? i'm pretty psyched to see the new Bond movie Quantum of Solace (after the last one kicked so much ass), but even moreso looking forward to the game that will have the first and second movie all wrapped up into one - using the Call of Duty 4 game engine. seriously, a Bond game hasn't looked this good since Goldeneye.
- other amazing single-player games: inFamous, flower, PixelJunk Eden, Dragon Age: Origins, Naruto 2, Killzone 2.
- games that just look like pure fun: This is Vegas, Wheelman, Mega Man 9, Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: On Tour, Lips.
- role-playing games i must have: The Last Remnant, Infinite Undiscovery, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Final Fantasy XIII.
- psyched that co-op is making such a comeback! Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Resident Evil 5, Left 4 Dead, and Borderlands are all must-haves for me. now, if i can only get another friend or two to pick them up...
- excited to see more of: I Am Alive, Darksiders: Wrath of War, Velvet Assassin, Bionic Commando, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Hydrophobia, The Agency, Damnation.
- looking forward to these games on the go for the PSP: Loco Roco 2, Patapon 2, Super Stardust Portable, Star Ocean: First Departure, Star Ocean: Second Evolution.
- Yakuza 2! early September! finally!!!
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic MMO is finally confirmed. while i would have rather liked an announcement for III, i have to admit that an MMO set in the KOTOR universe may be enough to get me to play an MMO.
- the new Prince of Persia is beautiful - not only in its art direction, but also in its gameplay. this is my most anticipated game of Fall/Winter 2008.
- and finally, this is BY FAR the best trailer to come out of E3 2008. may i present to you, the trailer for Duke Nukem Trilogy. at 4 minutes in length, it's like someone just discovered After Effects on their computer and just couldn't stop himself. 4 MINUTES!!!
so there you have it. most shocking was that FFXIII is headed to 360. most laughable was Nintendo's press conference and continued snubbing of their core fans. most stupid was Microsoft denying Bungie their announcement. and most impressive was:
Prince of Persia
runners up: Fallout 3, Mirror's Edge, Gears of War 2, Resident Evil 5, Left 4 Dead, Quantum of Solace, and Borderlands.
seriously, this Fall/Winter (when most of these games are slated to be released) looks to be as good - if not better than - last year. and last year was UNBELIEVABLE.
video games. gotta love 'em.
-k
ps - i could go on in great length about almost all the video games mentioned above, but i just don't have the time to go into them all right now. if you want to know how i feel about a specific video game above, you'll have to hit me up in the comments.
- Microsoft shocked everyone when they announced Final Fantasy XIII was headed to their platform as well as PS3. this is the second major game Sony lost exclusivity on from last gen to this gen (the other being Grand Theft Auto) and i've gotta admit, i feel bad for Sony. i'm not mad at Square for pimping out their product (this generation, it's hard to stay exclusive to a console with the high costs of production), i'm just sort of upset at Sony for letting Final Fantasy slip through their fingers. oh well. good game Microsoft.
- Bungie (makers of Halo, one of my favorite franchises) had been set to announce something at E3 for MONTHS. then, at the last minute, Microsoft decided to pull the plug saying that they had already shown off enough and they wanted to save the Bungie announcement. supposedly it's another game taking place in the Halo universe, but whatever it is, Microsoft totally dropped the ball. Bungie had been planning this, the fans (who are pretty rabid when it comes to Bungie) had been gearing up for it, and then POOF - nothing. stupid Microsoft. we're still with you Bungie!
- the Xbox 360 updated dashboard is looking pretty sweet. sort of a mix of CD cover shuffle on the ipod, Microsoft Vista windows, and the old dashboard.
- NOT liking how Microsoft is copying Nintendo with their avatars (blatant ripoffs of Miis) and worried that they're trying to reach out to everyone at once and will end up not reaching anyone.
- Microsoft and Netflix partner up to offer movies on your 360 for free (if you have a Netflix account). might be time to get a Netflix account. something about having a queue of movies that i don't have to wait for to come in the mail intrigues me.
- Nintendo starts to disappoint even their most hardcore fans! FINALLY! first they announce the Wii MotionPlus add-on for the Wii Remote (at a $30 value) that basically makes the Wiimote do WHAT IT WAS ORIGINALLY ADVERTISED TO DO! wow. then, at their press conference, they completely snubbed their core fans in favor of their new casual fans. WiiMusic? are you serious? that's not a game, that's play - further proving my point that the Nintendo Wii is nothing more than a toy. hey, if a toy is what you want, that's fine. to each his own. me, i'm just glad i jumped off Nintendo's bandwagon a few years back, otherwise this E3 would have KILLED me.
- Sony had a pretty good showing this year (i'm very excited to see where their first-party titles and PlayStation Network titles are going), but most the third party titles showing up on 360 and PS3 decided to show their wares at Microsoft's press conference instead of Sony's. that, and the fact that Sony lost exclusivity on FFXIII, made their showing a little sad. they keep asking us to wait just a little longer for the games to come out. well, i'm waiting.
- never played the originals, but Fallout 3 looks AMAZING.
- Mirror's Edge looks like it might give me motion sickness, but i think it'll be worth it for the amazing, original experience it seems like it's going to offer.
- might get Ghostbusters: The Video Game simply for the fact that Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis wrote the script (from what was to be the third, never-made movie) and that all 4 Ghostbuters are back lending their voices to the game.
- both a James Bond movie AND video game look great? what is this, 1996? i'm pretty psyched to see the new Bond movie Quantum of Solace (after the last one kicked so much ass), but even moreso looking forward to the game that will have the first and second movie all wrapped up into one - using the Call of Duty 4 game engine. seriously, a Bond game hasn't looked this good since Goldeneye.
- other amazing single-player games: inFamous, flower, PixelJunk Eden, Dragon Age: Origins, Naruto 2, Killzone 2.
- games that just look like pure fun: This is Vegas, Wheelman, Mega Man 9, Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: On Tour, Lips.
- role-playing games i must have: The Last Remnant, Infinite Undiscovery, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Final Fantasy XIII.
- psyched that co-op is making such a comeback! Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Resident Evil 5, Left 4 Dead, and Borderlands are all must-haves for me. now, if i can only get another friend or two to pick them up...
- excited to see more of: I Am Alive, Darksiders: Wrath of War, Velvet Assassin, Bionic Commando, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Hydrophobia, The Agency, Damnation.
- looking forward to these games on the go for the PSP: Loco Roco 2, Patapon 2, Super Stardust Portable, Star Ocean: First Departure, Star Ocean: Second Evolution.
- Yakuza 2! early September! finally!!!
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic MMO is finally confirmed. while i would have rather liked an announcement for III, i have to admit that an MMO set in the KOTOR universe may be enough to get me to play an MMO.
- the new Prince of Persia is beautiful - not only in its art direction, but also in its gameplay. this is my most anticipated game of Fall/Winter 2008.
- and finally, this is BY FAR the best trailer to come out of E3 2008. may i present to you, the trailer for Duke Nukem Trilogy. at 4 minutes in length, it's like someone just discovered After Effects on their computer and just couldn't stop himself. 4 MINUTES!!!
so there you have it. most shocking was that FFXIII is headed to 360. most laughable was Nintendo's press conference and continued snubbing of their core fans. most stupid was Microsoft denying Bungie their announcement. and most impressive was:
Prince of Persia
runners up: Fallout 3, Mirror's Edge, Gears of War 2, Resident Evil 5, Left 4 Dead, Quantum of Solace, and Borderlands.
seriously, this Fall/Winter (when most of these games are slated to be released) looks to be as good - if not better than - last year. and last year was UNBELIEVABLE.
video games. gotta love 'em.
-k
ps - i could go on in great length about almost all the video games mentioned above, but i just don't have the time to go into them all right now. if you want to know how i feel about a specific video game above, you'll have to hit me up in the comments.
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