The Walking Dead (Game) Finale Review

Here we are at the conclusion of the 5 episode long season of The Walking Dead from Telltale and what a journey this has been. But now as I'm sitting here contemplating my time with each episode and the permanent emotional scar the finale has left on me I'm struggling to let go. Telltale has accomplished in 5 episodes what most television shows take years to do. I feel like a piece of me has left and I don't know how to feel about that, it was the same for me after the show Chuck ended, this empty whole where beloved characters lived is now vacant. The Walking Dead made me so invested in these characters and moved me in a way few things in entertainment or real life rarely do. I am now lost without these characters, and though prospects if a second season are high (it is the most successful series Telltale has yet developed) there is still this overwhelming sense of defeat. Sure I accomplished the one goal I set for myself while playing the season but it wasn't easy, nor was I remotely happy once the credits rolled.

I have no doubt in my mind that Telltale has left an indelible mark on the video game industry with the conclusion of The Walking Dead, a mark that will be looked back on in the future as the turning point for when video games could start being taken seriously on a storytelling, world building and characterization level. Worse still is that I can't delve into the specifics, this is a game that needs to be experienced first hand, everyone should play The Walking Dead whether you like adventure games or not, if you care at all about video games and what they used to be and where they're headed you need to see the milestone that is The Walking Dead series from Telltale. This game will stick with me forever, as I sat there literally bawling as the credits rolled, I knew I had just experienced the most significant achievement in video games this entire generation. The Walking Dead is far more than the best game of the year, its probably the single greatest leap in storytelling quality in video games. 

(5 out of 5)

Quick & Dirty Reviews

The Watch (1 out of 5)

The Watch is single-handedly one of the worst comedies I have seen this year. An absolute abysmal excuse for entertainment and the last straw for Vince Vaughn with whom I now have a personal vendetta against. The Watch is a needlessly vulgar and immensely stupid film that offers nothing in the way of interesting ideas or even gags. Going for crude sex jokes and tangential rants in exchange for actually clever or witty humor. It's childish and clearly desperate and it makes for one of the most painful comedy movie watching experiences I have had since Adam Sandler's Grown Ups. Both Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill have done good work recently so its a wonder why they would stoop as low as this and even Richard Ayoade who has been carving out his own niche appeal is just slumming it here. The only justified person in the film is Vince Vaughn who has consistently starred in lackluster comedies. Stay far far away from The Watch a half "comedy" half sci-fi mash-up that fails in the key aspect of its existence, entertainment.

Brave (3 out of 5)

Brave is an unfortunately unimaginative effort from animated powerhouse Pixar, who usually delivers the best in class animated features. But Brave channels old school Disney princess movies too much, making it a gorgeous looking if predictable fairy tale adventure. The film follows Merida as she rebels against her mothers wishes of being betrothed and becoming a queen. Merida likes archery and adventuring and when a hasty wish granted by a suspicious witch goes awry she must grow up and take on her responsibility. If this sounds familiar it's because it is, recounting 50 years of Disney movie princess, Brave does little in the way of originality a rarity for Pixar. In the end Brave is still better than most animated films but it is an unfortunate low point in the Pixar pantheon which up until now has only included one failure, Cars which most people disregard as the lowly merchandising money maker.

Total Recall (2 out of 5)

Why?!? Remaking the original 1990 Total Recall was 100% unnecessary, the original is widely regarded as a classic and its cheesy ultra violent practical effects and overt satirical commentary typical of a Verrhoeven film were what made it so memorable. Now 22 years later Total Recall is a boring and hollow action movie from the directorial hack Len Wiseman. What was once an entertaining and smart action movie has now been diluted to its modern day equivalent and it's far worse for it. But decent action set pieces and great visual effects make the disappointment go down a little easier. Bryan Cranston in his recent quest to be in every movie ever (last seen in Argo), plays Cohaagen a far step down from the original films interpretation but at the very least Cranston delivers the best performance in the movie and is pretty bad-ass throughout. Everyone else however is sorely lacking in, well, talent. Colin Farrell who has done great work recently in smaller independent films appears to be sleep walking through this one, clearly in it for the paycheck. And while Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel throw themselves into everything they do, it's more because they're generally so terrible any job could be their last. Stay away from this disgrace of a remake and at best mediocre action movie and dig up a copy of the original it holds up and offers way more in the way of interesting ideas and pretty amazing practical effects.

V/H/S (4 out of 5)

Holy Crap was this movie scary, V/H/S is a horror movie anthology like Creepshow or Trick 'r' Treat. The conceit is that a group of guys break into a house to steal some VHS's and while there they watch a few of the movies, which contain morbid recordings of completely unrelated horrors. As with most anthologies V/H/S has a few duds in its over arching narrative but even-still I haven't been this thoroughly freaked out by a horror film since The Strangers. Each tape contains a different story some slow burns that feed on the tension and anxiety and other are more supernatural harping on the fear of something omnipresent and inhumanly powerful. The film feels like a love letter to the horror genre, not with references or gags but by taking tropes and expectations and twisting them enough so that even the most hardened horror lover will get a kick out of these fucked up stories. There are five separate stories and only one is a let down, while another I didn't find scary because it seemed too unreal. V/H/S comes highly recommended, but be forewarned this movie is not for the faint of heart, and even if you have become tired of the found footage direction of recent horror films I promise this movie offers some real scares and some inventive use of the concept that it's well worth checking out but only if you want to loose a few hours of sleep for the next few weeks.

Elementary (TV Show) (1 out of 5)

A rote and predictable crime drama that offers nothing in the way of new or even remotely interesting ideas. Forced pleas for differentiation are meaningless and end up coming off as desperate cries for attention rather than interesting creative directions. Elementary apes the formula of a mediocre police procedural and mixes in the now predictable portrayal of Holmes audiences have seen in just about every incarnation of the last 10 years. As with everything on CBS, Elementary finds its audience in stay at home moms and the elderly, it's not a bad audience on the contrary it's quite a loyal contingent if you can hook them, but for anyone with an eye for quality programming this particular show is sorely lacking. Do yourself a favor, hunt down the BBC series and watch that instead and see what a respectable and intelligent modern take on Sherlock Holes can be.

Dishonored Review

Dishonored takes ingredients from other games to create a fun formula that allows for true player freedom. A poorly presented story and dated graphics are the only things holding back this otherwise eminently playable game. Dishonored entrusts itself entirely on the player, however you choose to handle any given situation the game throws at you will determine how characters will react and eventually how the story will end. Dishonored takes place in the wonderfully designed city of Dunwall suffering from a plague being spread by rats. The world is incredibly well thought out and one of the great joys is taking your time with the game, reading journals and over hearing conversations which make this world come to life. But unfortunately the fiction of the world is the only thing that's narratively interesting, because the story itself is shallow and never quite captures the potential that the world itself seems to point towards.

Dishonored revels in player choice, there are hundreds (no exaggeration) of ways to tackle any given situation. The game even opens up all the available powers from the get go from teleporting to possessing animals and enemies to do your bidding, allowing you to specialize based on your preferred play style. While I primarily played the game as a stealth experience one of the great joys of playing this game is that any option is viable. Unlike most stealth games Dishonored's combat is pretty damn fun, so if you get caught and have to fight your way out, its actually an enjoyable experience and it's that flexibility that makes Dishonored truly shine. The missions in the game are broken up into large fully traversable areas where you can take on side missions, explore an abandoned home, or book it straight to your assassination target. These large levels provide much of the freedom allowing you to access buildings from any available doors and windows or sneak in through the rooftops or sewers. Once inside, avoid being spotted or go in guns blazing and see how far you can make it (not very). There is even an adventure-esque mission that takes place at a masquerade ball where you have to piece together clues to discover which mask your target is hiding behind.

Dishonored takes inspiration from games like Bioshock and Deus Ex and creates a unique world of its own with tons of options for how any given player wants to play it. Stealth is the ideal, but I fought my out of a bind on a few occasions and the game maintained the same level of enjoyment. I only wish they had come up with a better story to wrap around the great gameplay. The graphics are also a bit of a letdown, with character faces in particular looking especially horrendous. But don't let those two gripes stop you from playing Dishonored which is undoubtedly one of the most gratifying games to play with cool powers, fun combat, tons of options and stealth mechanics that aren't frustrating but in fact incredibly fun.

(4 out of 5)

AHS: Asylum "Welcome to Briarcliff" Review

American Horror Story was supremely successful last season becoming one of FX's highest rated shows and winning them a few Emmy's in the process. So it was interesting when last season ended in such a definite and conclusive way, leaving the prospects of a second season seemingly impossible. In an interesting twist the showrunners decided to create what I've coined an "anthology mini-series" mixing both concepts to hopefully great effect. Instead of the show building upon a single narrative they've opted to make each season a self contained story, completely unrelated to each other yet still casting a lot of the same actors but in completely different roles. For example the Harmon family and the "Murder House" from the first season have been replaced by a 1964 Insane Asylum run by Sister Jude. It's a risky move that could turn both new and returning viewers off, simply for its non-standard approach.

This show has always been a tough sell with horror, overly sexual scenes, and for simply being bizarre (rubber man). But now seeing the same actors as different characters and in every case so far, very different roles, might turn people who previously liked the show and its characters away. Evan Peter who played Tate last season is now playing a young man named Kit, who is fundamentally very different from Tate who was a violent psychopath. This occurs throughout the entire cast, some guest star from last season have even been promoted to series regulars like Zachery Quinto who now plays a psychiatrist who views the institutions methods as barbaric. Now for someone who watches a lot of TV, this premise is exciting, taking actors from each season thrusting them into polar opposite roles and in a vastly different time period and setting, it makes for fresh and challenging television and that's becoming increasingly rare these days. Unfortunately this season premier is a bit of a whirlwind and suffers from being over stuffed and frenetically shot and edited. The camera doesn't stay still for even a second and it becomes frustrating in even the most intimate scenes when the camera looks like its being operated by a drunk. As for the overly stuffed criticism, let me simply say I was overwhelmed by the amount of characters being introduced and plot points being brought up. It took all my attention to keep up with the show. Hopefully once the show gets into its groove it'll slow down and delve deeper into what seems like amazing potential for a horror themed show.

(3 out of 5)

The Walking Dead S3 E1 "Seed" Review

As Season 3 begins Rick and the gang have become an efficient zombie killing machine, which makes sense since its clearly been a few months since the end of last season judging by the size of Lori's baby bump. First and foremost its important to note that it seems at least with this first episode that Season 3 is a direct response to fans complaints of last season. With a higher zombie kill-count than 8 total episodes of last season. But zombie action isn't what I come for the show for, its the characters and their interaction with this apocalyptic wasteland, the zombies are just the icing on the cake of dwindling humanity. Every single character seems to have evolved in response to last years criticisms, Carl is not an annoying kid who runs off every second he is given a chance, he is now a battle hardened survivor. Lori is now actually sympathetic, acknowledging that she instigated and even edged on Rick's confrontation with the now deceased Shane. Even T-Dog gets some speaking lines, thoughtful too, rare I know. But it really seems like the showrunners have realized their mistakes from last season and intend to deliver high-caliber content deserving of the programs highest rated cable show status.

The prison, finally we have arrived to the much requested location from the comic books, the infamous prison where all manner of fucked up shit is lurking around every dusty darkened corner. This episode takes the action first approach to a season opener, with zombie deaths aplenty with just enough characters stuff to reestablish everyone and their standings with each other and the state of the world. There are some great character interactions and some well intentioned bad ones, like singing around a campfire or the weird pseudo-romance between Darryl and Carol. An example of a great moment between two characters is Lori's panicked talk to Herschel in which she imagines delivering a still born baby with the implications of it coming back to life or tearing itself out of her.

The Walking Dead Season 3 premier episode "Seed" is a phenomenal start for this season and sets a high bar for future episodes. I can't imagine the show will maintain this level of action for its entire run since there need to be human stakes and drama as well, but the showrunners clearly took criticisms to heart. Characters, pacing everything has been tweaked for the better and it shows promise for a program that seems to be finally coming into its own. We still haven't gotten into the shows newest and possibly vilest character The Governor or where and what Michonne and Andre have been up to, who we only got a sneak peak of this week. But if this first episode is any indication we are in for a high octane intense season which seems to have finally cemented this show as a phenomenon worthy of its huge success.

(5 out of 5)

Argo Review

Ben Affleck nails it for the third time in a row. Since becoming a feature film director with the 2007 Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck has made the successful transition to director with now 3 great films under his belt. Argo tells the story of the 6 Americans who hid in the Canadian ambassadors residence when the Iranian people stormed the US embassy in the 1970's and the CIA operative who created and executed the plan to get them out. Argo is an astoundingly accurate historical film, shots in the film are lifted straight from the real world events and everything is meticulously detailed, more amazing is how incredibly easy to digest it is. The film does a great job making sure the audience understands whats going on without ever being pandering. The film unfortunately loses some of its intended affect by its tone, which reveals the outcome far too early making the tension fall flat in the climatic finale.

Argo is filled to the brim with fantastic actors giving strong performances. Ben Affleck who seems to do best when directing himself pushes his character a little into the background while giving the supporting characters more of a chance to shine. Everyone from Alan Arkin and John Goodman who play filmmakers in Hollywood who lend their expertise to help the CIA mission and Bryan Cranston who plays the CIA director responsible for making sure the mission goes smoothly. Like I said above the films tone is very telling, with lots of jokes and moments of brevity completely unrelated to the hostage situation in Iran concentrated more on the preposterous sci-fi film which serves as the CIA cover that is going to save the lives of the 6 American embassy worker. And while at times the movie can be tense and dramatic it quickly differs that energy as soon as it can with a return to the comic pairing of Arkin and Goodman's characters.

Argo isn't as good as Ben Affleck other two directorial features but it continues to prove his talents as a director to watch. Both The Town and Gone Baby Gone were fresher and felt higher stake or maybe its simply because Affleck didn't write the script for Argo. Whatever the case may be Affleck has crafted a great spy film that accurately depicts the events in which its based and filled it with great performances. Will Argo be remembered, probably not; but is Argo a re-validation of a great director, sure is and its a decent enough time to spend two hours.

(3 out of 5)

Looper Review

Looper is one of the smartest sci-fi films in a long time and without spoiling anything, the marketing has done a fantastic job of keeping what the film is actually about under wraps, which is becoming frustratingly rare these days. Time travel is the name of the game, and while it's a premise that always leaves plot holes, Looper manages to disguise these gaps in logic enough that you simply buy into the story as it unfolds. Staring Joseph Gordon-Levitt who plays a young Bruce Willis with the help of some not so successful prosthetic make-up and an eerily accurate impersonation. Levitt's impersonation is so good in fact that you forget about the odd looking make-up and truly believe that he is a younger Bruce Willis. It's tough describing a movie that hinges so much on expectations or really the lack of them as is the case here but suffice to say Looper is an apt name, because you'll be flipped ass over tea kettle and be completely blown away by this stylish and unique sci-fi actioner. 

Strong performances and a great premise aren't the only thing making this the equivalent of Inception this year. There is a wonderful twist on typical audience expectations, and its the way the film plays around with those notions mixed with the directors stylish presentation that make this such a standout genre film. For example a simple but effective twist the movie uses is character motivations, in this case the protagonist has the motivations typically associated with the villain; greed, self interest, untrustworthy, etc. While the antagonist has motivations an audience would normally cheer on like fighting for the greater good and revenge over the death of a loved one. Its a simple twist but it keeps you engaged as you follow two characters that are going for each-others throats and you can't decide who to root for. As a tangentially related aside, this is the only movie I've ever seen legitimately justify killing a 4 year old. I looked around the audience at that moment and saw people frantically trying to figure out how to respond and looking around them for some sort of barometer. 

I really can't say more without giving too much away, simply know Looper is one of few genuinely unique and intelligent sci-fi action movies around. Great performances with a particularly frighteningly spot on impersonation by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The biggest surprise and the thing I am dancing around is worth this ridiculously coy review, without spoiling the surprise, it is something most movies fail miserably at accomplishing and yet this movie pulls off with such ease its mind blowing. When I realized where the movie was going I has all but given up, "well that was pretty amazing until this started" instead I sat there mouth agape as they defied all preconceptions and pulled off what even the most skilled filmmakers fail to do. I was stunned to say the least. The film doesn't reinvent the wheel at least not for the most part, nor does it aspire to be anything more than it is, a striking and deftly creative sci-fi film that will give your mind and your heart a run of their money. 

(4 out of 5)