Druff

I see that Don Bluth is credited with directing Dragon's Lair, but the person who actually came up with the idea for the game gets no credit here. The man who was really behind Dragon's Lair was Rick Dyer. In the 70s he created a prototype for a game which used hand drawn artwork and text on an adding machine ribbon (rather than animation and sound on a laser disk.) The user would hit certain keys to make choices, and the machine would automatically roll the ribbon to the next appropriate scene. It was Dyer who pitched the idea for Dragon's Lair to several animation companies, and it happened to be Don Bluth's company who agreed to animate the game. While Don Bluth's animation in Dragon's Lair is excellent, he doesn't deserve the credit for creating the game itself.

Almost everything about Vagrant Story is par excel-lance. The story, the script, the characters, the graphics, the soundtrack... The English translation is especially spectacular, due to its masterful coloring with "Olde English" which adds so much to the tone and atmosphere. This is one of the ultra rare cases where the English translation is arguable far superior to the original Japanese script. Unfortunately, all of these shining examples of fine craft and "video game design as true art" is all for naught because of one single fatal flaw: The game simply isn't fun to play.

Where the game ultimately fails is in the game play. The battle system in and of itself is fine. It's an interesting hybrid cross between standard real time action combat and traditional RPG turn based combat. The problem is, at the very heart of the battle system is an abysmally UN-fun weapon and armor system. There are several (eight?) classes of enemies in the game- Beast, Human, Dragon, Undead, Phantom, etc. The enemy classes are paired off into diametric oppositions. e.g. Using your weapon against a human enemy will make it stronger against humans, but weaker against phantoms. (sic) On top of that, there are specific weakness ratings. An enemy might be weak against blunt weapons, but almost totally impervious to edged weapons or piercing weapons. And then there are the usual elementals as well- fire, ice, earth and so on. Finally, each of your weapons has its own "wear" rating. The lower the rating, the more worn out the weapon, the less damage it does. You must repair your weapons in workshops, which are few and far between in the game. Another thing you can do in workshops is disassemble your weapons and reassemble the parts to make new weapons. Whether the new weapon will be better or worse than the weapons you sacrificed to make them involves much trial and error. The end effect of all of this is that as you play the game, you are literally constantly changing weapons. Yet the creators of the game didn't bother to implement any sort of quick menu for weapon switching, a la Secret of Mana. You have no choice but to spend 45% of your game time opening the main menu, opening the weapon menu, finding the right weapon, opening the accessory menu, changing the elemental jewels on the weapon, etc. etc. etc. All they had to do was come up with some sort of quick menu for changing weapons, as Seiken Densetsu 2 did seven years earlier. As it stands, Vagrant Story is a micro-management nightmare. To call the game tedious is an understatement of epic proportions.

As is always the case, no matter how flawed something, there will be a small niche group of vocal supporters who will insist that the thing in question is the greatest creation in history, and that people who don't like it just don't "get it." Beware of misguided fanatics.

Please note that the preceding includes some ridiculous things like 'excel-lance' and 'UN-fun' because of IMDb's incredibly retarded "error checking" system. IMDb: Please get rid of that broken piece of garbage.

I bought the entire NieA_7 series in one shot (DVD box-set) because I'm a fan of Serial Experiments Lain and Haibane Renmei, and NieA was made by some of the same creators. After all, I bought Haibane Renmei solely because it was by the same people who made Lain, and I was rewarded with a truly excellent anime. Last night I finished the first volume of NieA, and let me say that at this point my faith has been shaken.

Based on the first four episodes, I'm struck by the close similarity to another anime called FLCL (a.k.a. Furi Kuri or Fooly Cool y, depending on your personal level of anime fan-hood/elitism.) I believe both shows debuted in Japan in 2000, so I doubt that either one is an intentional rip-off of the other. On paper, the basic premises are almost identical; A young girl leads a relatively mundane life in a very quiet town. The one thing that prevents her life from being completely ho-hum is the fact that she lives with a free-spirited female alien (named NieA) who is usually a source of trouble to the girl. All I'd have to do is change the young girl to a young boy and I'd be describing FLCL. It's the same drill. Events are seemingly random, with only a loose sense of any plot. Wacky, zany and bizarre are apt adjectives for the episodes I've seen. The NieA character is annoying, and the lead character never fails to overreact to the alien's shenanigans. One problem is that they've made NieA -too- annoying. So far she's entirely one dimensional. Her single minded obsession with food invariably causes her to be a selfish, obnoxious pest. She isn't funny or cool, unlike FLCL's Haruko. I'm sure as I get further into the show there will be some character development and I'll see the characters in a different light. As it stands now, I wish the NieA character would just go away. I'm an easy going guy. For a character to get on my nerves to this degree in only four episodes indicates to me that something is wrong. I'll continue to watch NieA_7 only out of a stubborn sense of duty. Not enjoyment. I finish this series even it if it kills me. For now I hope I like Texhnolyze more than this.

Note to IMDb staff: Your automated "follow the rules" script for these submissions really needs some tweaking and bug-fixing. It wouldn't permit me to title this comment "FLCL Jr." because it considered that to be "shouting". It wouldn't let me use "F.L.C.L." either, because it regarded that as shouting as well. Finally, it wouldn't let me title it "Fooly Cool y Jr." either. No matter how I try to change it, it automatically changes Cool y to Coolly. In fact, I've had to put a space between the l and y just to tell you this.

It would seem that even when I'm not watching the show, NieA is still finding ways to annoy me. ~_^

Somewhere along the line during Monolithsoft's PR junkets and interviews and whatnot, Xenosaga fans came to believe that Episode 2 would wrap up the current plot line involving the characters introduced in Episode 1, and that Episode 3 would jump ahead a few thousand years in the timeline and introduce new characters. Apparently, this is not the case. Episode 2 does resolve some conflicts and bring closure to a few issues, but none that are very major or have much to do with the grand scheme of things. It seems that most of the cast will be returning for Episode 3.

While there are still many fans who stubbornly cling to the hope that Xenosaga will follow a course of events that will eventually lead into a retelling or even a remake of 1998's Xenogears, Episode 2 doesn't do much to bring us any closer to that. Notice that I didn't say that it doesn't do ANYTHING to bring us closer to that. However, I remain firm in my belief that if Xenosaga does have any relation to Xenogears, it will tell the untold stories that took place in episodes 1 and 6 in the Xenogears epic, as these are the only two episodes that weren't completely outlined and fleshed out in either Xenogears the game or the book Xenogears Perfect Works. In other words, these are the two remaining parts of the 15,000+ year story in which the authors still have the opportunity to be as creative as possible without contradicting the events told of Xenogears.

In any case, Xenosaga Episode 2 continues to follow the same path as Episode 1 did: This is a relatively small, sensibly sized RPG. It isn't the grotesquely bloated epic that Xenogears was, and fans who were hoping it would be are bound to be disappointed.

This film serves as the perfect example of the destructive force of cocaine. It's pretty obvious that Young and Stockwell and probably everyone else involved was hopped up on goofballs during the whole production. "Ah, we don't need a script. We'll just make it up as we go. It'll be more 'there' without one. *snort*" "Yeah! Plots stink anyway. *snort* Always so contrived. Who needs 'em?" The low point comes during a dream sequence which is actually a live jam between Devo and Neil Young. It's one of the saddest displays I've ever seen of an aging ex-hippy desperately trying to be hip and "punk." (In the 70s sense.) Meanwhile Devo, who was at perhaps their most creative and virulent point in their career (I think this sequence was actually filmed in 1979) is relegated to being Neil's back-up band, playing the same four chords over and over for at least 10 minutes while he makes noise on his guitar. I hate to sound so negative, but I went into this knowing not to take it seriously, and it was still hard to sit through.

If anyone had told me this was similar to Excel Saga, I never would have bothered checking it out. There's no denying that FLCL is absolutely out of its mind insane, but it has a certain... something... that Excel lacked. Edge? Wit? Conspiritoriality? (I don't think that's an actual word...) Heart? Charisma? All of the above? Whereas Excel instantly grated on my nerves and annoyed the hell out of me, FLCL kept me amused and interested and entertained for the duration.

Dark Star is really interesting in that it wears its influences on its sleeve, and what eventually followed it wears IT as an influence on its sleeve. The painfully obvious low-budget and laughable acting aside, this stands as a hilarious satire that bridges the gap between two of my favorite science fiction films.

It's obvious that Dark Star was greatly inspired by 2001: A Space Oddysey. Dan O'Bannon must have been really taken with Frank Poole and David Bowman's story; two crew members stuck on a spaceship for a long period of time with absolutely nothing to do. Dark Star takes this to its logical extreme, with the human crew members being bored to death and sick of each other, arguing and sniping at each other constantly. The talking computerized bombs are clearly cousins of HAL9000. The "crabby crew" motif was later repeated in O'Bannon's Alien script, as was the "alien on the loose inside the ship" subplot which had graduated to the central plot point.

No, I didn't think it was better than T2, or as good as T2. However, I do think it was a -HELL- of a lot better than I assumed it would be when I originally heard that a new Terminator movie was being made sans Cameron and Hamilton. Don't expect it to surpass the first two Ts and enjoy it for the solid action flick it is.

I can understand why the vast majority of critics were compelled to trash this movie; It's undeniable that the premise, plot, and even the action was all culled from previous efforts, literary and cinematic. This movie truly stands on the shoulders of giants. But the same critics also should have been able to admit that the execution and style overcome the derivativeness. As if Wimmer thinks he's going to trick anybody into thinking they're seeing something "new". No, he did something many others have done before him, but he did it VERY WELL. If you like action flicks, do not miss it.

The first segment of this "trilogy," Magnetic Rose, is my favorite of the three. However, it's extremely derivative of the early 70s sci-fi film Solaris, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. In the story of Solaris, a space station near a newly discovered planet falls prey to the bizarre nature of the "sentient ocean" on the planet surface. Somehow, this ocean is able to sense the memories of any human in the vicinity, and manifest those memories physically in white foam which hardens into a recognizable form. Dead loved ones return, etc. When you see the first segment of Memories, it should be quite clear that Otomo must have been very heavily inspired by Solaris when he created the original manga as well as this animated version.

The second segment, Stink Bomb, is an amusing black comedy piece. Perhaps pointless, but I don't mind that. Not everything needs to shove a message into your face.

The third segment, Cannon Fodder initially knocked my socks off with its unusual style, I was sure they were saving the best for last... but it quickly petered out and didn't really go anywhere. Typical of animated shorts of course, but for some reason I was expecting more from it. A small side note, I wondered if perhaps Cannon Fodder had influenced the makers of Final Fantasy VII, since that game features a city which is built around a gigantic cannon. It may have been my imagination, but I could have sworn I saw several visual similarities between the anime segment and the RPG. It wouldn't surprise me too much, since there are many blatant similarities between FFVII and another of Otomo's works, the classic and extremely well known Akira.

I can't say I didn't enjoy this movie. If only I'd kept my expectations lower.

This isn't really one of my favorites now in 2002, but when I saw it in 1995 (when I finally started getting back into anime again after not seeing any since Getta Robo G and Brave Raideen in the 70s, and Yamato, Macross and Akira in the 80s) I really enjoyed it. The reason I want to comment about Ninja Scroll is to say that I find that a lot of people who consider themselves to be "hardcore anime enthusiasts" often dismiss it as shallow and mindless ultraviolence + gratuitous nudity. While that isn't TOO far from the truth, this still has enough going for it to keep it out of the trash bin. The villains, the '8 Devils of Kimon,' are reason enough to give Ninja Scroll a chance.

There's a most common misconception about AI, one I must admit that I myself entertained, until I did some online research immediately after seeing the film. This misconception is that Kubrick's original story ended at a certain point, and that Spielberg then tacked on 20 minutes of superfluous, nauseating schmaltz. It turns out that this is not the case, at all. If you read the Kubrick FAQ you'll see that the final 20 minute sequence was in fact always intended by Kubrick himself. You'll see that he even had to fight one of his writers for it to remain in the script. It is now my firm belief that Spielberg remained as absoulutely faithful to Kubrick's vision as he possibly could. I also believe that AI is a masterpiece, one of the rare films that actually induces THOUGHT, and that we have just witnessed the birth of a classic film which will be discussed and debated for many decades to come.

There's a most common misconception about AI, one I must admit that I myself entertained, until I did some online research immediately after seeing the film. This misconception is that Kubrick's original story ended at a certain point, and that Spielberg then tacked on 20 minutes of superfluous, nauseating schmaltz. It turns out that this is not the case, at all. If you read the Kubrick FAQ you'll see that the final 20 minute sequence was in fact always intended by Kubrick himself. You'll see that he even had to fight one of his writers for it to remain in the script. It is now my firm belief that Spielberg remained as absoulutely faithful to Kubrick's vision as he possibly could. I also believe that AI is a masterpiece, one of the rare films that actually induces THOUGHT, and that we have just witnessed the birth of a classic film which will be discussed and debated for many decades to come.

A good friend of mine is an insanely obsessed car-freak. One day he turned on his TV and popped a DVD into the player, and we watched Two Lane Blacktop. I'm not into cars at all, but I was transfixed by this movie. When it was all over, I didn't find it overly existential or pretentious or confusing or boring in the slightest. I saw it as a very simple yet compelling story; Two men live for only one thing: racing their car, which has been stripped down to its barest essentials in order to give it maximum speed. Things like heaters and rear seats have been removed... steel has been replaced with fiberglass. And as they have done with their car, they have stripped away all "extraneous" elements from their lives, and from their very selves. They have no need for conversation or music, or for love or anger or any other emotion for that matter. They're cold and dehumanized. As they make their way across the landscape, they meet an older man who has lost his life and identity, and is desperately searching for new ones. Most important, they are joined by a girl who wants only one thing: human contact. As I saw it, the central point of the story is how she affects the men, one of them more than the others. I believe this explains the notoriously "ambiguous" ending. It isn't a perfect film by any means. Laurie Bird's neophyte status is painfully obvious in some of her scenes. At times this film may be too subtle and understated for its own good. It seems that some of the most important and basic plot elements are left to the viewer to infer. Then again, this may again be part of the "stripped down" theme that is so prevalent throughout. Whatever the case, it's an incredibly unique and very haunting film. I can certainly understand that it isn't for everyone. Two Lane Blacktop is actually much like 2001: A Space Odyssey in that respect; some will inevitably regard it as boring and pointless. Others will, for lack of a less elitist and arrogant term, "get it." I heartily recommend that everyone sees it for themselves at least once, and find out which group you belong to.

I've seen a couple of people use similar lines in their comments. DID THEY EVEN WATCH THE MOVIE? The actual fight scenes make up about 3% of the entire film! Jeez.

Anyway... my thoughts:

I have to admit, when I saw the trailers last year, they did NOTHING to make me want to see the movie. It looked to me like it was going to be some kind of "heist gone wrong" flick. You know, like Killing Zoe, or Dog Day Afternoon. It wasn't until a couple of months ago when a friend clued me in to the fact that there's much more going on in Fight Club than the trailers allude to. And so, I made up my mind that I'd pick up the DVD as soon as it was out. Well, today is the day. It's out.

I would say that, yes, this is a "guy flick". It seems to be aimed at guys (i.e. males 18-50 or whatever), or women who are really fascinated with men, interested in what makes us tick and whatnot. I don't see it as a manifesto, of course. But I do think it's meant to bring up some pointed questions about what we "guys" are in 2000 A.D. And what we should be. And what we want to be. All I know is, I'm a guy, and this movie entertained me, shocked me, horrified me, and gave me something to think about. All in all, one of the best movies I've seen recently. It's up there with Boys Don't Cry and... um... The Dark Crystal!