I just finished watching this independent movie called Ink (2009) today via Netflix Instant Watch. I sort of have to rant on the movie a little because I really liked the potential and the design of the movie, but I kept going back to how badly the melodrama got sometimes.

It’s this sci-fi movie about two factions who are in a constant struggle for power. Essentially there are those who give us good dreams and those who give us nightmares. Why it was so important, I’m not entirely sure, but essentially, a little girl, Emma, is kidnapped by a character named Ink to be delivered to the nightmare givers and this movie is about her rescue.

What first caught my eye was the poster which was very reminiscent of Elijah Wood’s character from Sin City. Watching the trailer, I was immediately intrigued by the character design and I definitely was looking forward to watching it, but even the trailer had a sort of cheesy, over the top feel to it which I was hoping was just due to a bad trailer, but turns out, not the case. It was the whole movie that was trying too hard to be dramatic, too hard to be funny at times.

It’s not that I didn’t like the movie (even though I can’t say I understood it 100% by the end). There were a lot of creative ideas here. Visually, I thought it was fantastic, especially for the budget. It had a dystopian vibe to it that I’m keen on. The fight scenes and the first half of the film where Emma gets kidnapped are amazing and I was enjoying it. But then came the character development and while I still did feel invested in the movie, I was being pushed away by the melodrama.

Throughout that time, I kept think how great this would’ve been if it was a graphic novel because the words felt lifted straight out of a book or something. Dialogue that would sound greater read than heard. I think I would even love this as a TV show, giving us more time to be invested in these characters and perhaps I could forgive some of the cheesy lines because I would see where the characters come from.

To me, this movie had potential to be something amazing, but borderlines on good for its premise. I still think people should see it since it’s easily available on Netflix Instant Watch and it’s one of the more creative independent films out there.

If this is what Farmville is like, then count me out. Not because We Rule is a bad game, but because it’s damn addicting. I can see why people spend so much time on Facebook now.

We Rule is essentially a game where you make money to increase the grandeur of your kingdom. In order to make money, you start off by growing crop and within a select time limit, you can harvest your crops and start building and adding to the kingdom.

It’s a fairly simple game, which only adds to its addictive nature. You plant, harvest, create new buildings in hopes of expanding your kingdom. Along the way you gain experience points to level up and unlock new things to create. You can add friends to expand the world map where you can then go to their kingdom and see their own creation. You can also shop in their stores and vice versa but you only gain more money and experience rather than actually receiving an item that actually does anything.

My kingdom has a long way to go.

And that’s where my tiny little rant comes in. Simply put, this game really has no purpose other than to waste time. You make money, you improve your kingdom, rinse and repeat. It’s doesn’t challenge you in any shape or form. This isn’t Harvest Moon where you have to get creative to make money. This isn’t SimCity where you have to appeal to your peasant’s wishes. There’s very little challenge and I keep wondering why I go back to it day after day. Sure, I can stop whenever, but the time spent not playing is money wasted that I could’ve been making.

Plus, it’s free. I should’ve mentioned that earlier as my outrage is no one’s fault but my own. While I would’ve liked more from the game, it’s a nice way to spend five minutes of your time.

We Rule by ngmoco, Inc., Price: Free

So to the side here  is a preview of my drawing of Kratos, unfinished. Turns out, he isn’t as hard to draw as I expected (though that’s not to say it’s easy). I hope to complete it one day, but with school back in session, time has once again become scarce. Well, it’s scarce when you  have a choice between drawing and playing God of War 3.

Having just beaten the game today, I can say without doubt that this is the most epic game I’ve ever played. Okay, ONE of the most epic games I’ve played, since with games like Uncharted 2 and Mass Effect, it’s really is hard to pick just one, but that’s beside the point.

The point is that God of War 3 is an amazing game and between the scale and the action, epic is more than appropriate to describe the game. Graphically, it’s stunning and perhaps one of the most detailed games I’ve ever seen. From wandering around the underworld to traversing the Titans, this game has shown how much progress we’ve made from generation to generation. I was on YouTube looking at videos of the first God of War game that came out only 5 years ago and it’s hard to believe that there was a point in time where THOSE graphics were considered amazing. But it’s pretty laughable now, especially considering Kratos is running around on the PSP with graphics nearly identical to the PS2 versions.

Gameplay hasn’t changed too much and Kratos is back to the good ol’ strike, dodge, strike and quick time event formula. While some would say that’s a bad thing, for me, this is a perfect example of why fix what doesn’t need to be fixed? We do get new weapons to play with along with new magic attacks, so the game still feels plenty fresh. As for the quick time events, you won’t care that you’re pressing X for the hundredth time when you’re watching the amazing action sequences. There’s even an in game item that you can unlock to automatically accomplish the quick time events so you can just sit back and enjoy the visuals.

Overall, it’s a fitting end to the trilogy. While not necessarily the most rewarding ending, it’s satisfying. Kratos sought out to do what he does best, destroying anything and everything in his path. Of course, he does so with flying colors, even though most of the color is blood red.

Coming from an art background, visuals in film have always been an important aspect to me. Sure, story and acting are a major part of what makes a movie successful, but you’re watching a film. Why not make it look visually appealing? Especially for a no budget student who finally has options to make a movie look as visually stunning as the pros.

So when I see this series: http://www.zacuto.com/shootout
I can’t help but get a little excited. These guys at Zacuto, makers of DSLR gear for filmmakers, are comparing these, in comparison, low cost DSLR’s to the big boy of film.  The verdict? The DSLR obviously won’t beat film, but considering the cost, it’s hard to argue against the amazing quality they produce.

The DSLR market for filmmakers is booming, especially within the low-to-no budget film community. I myself have sold my Handy35 35mm adapter as I wait for the newly released T2i to arrive. I am aware of the aliasing issues that are prevalent with these DSLRs, and that’s why I have my HV30 on standby just in case, but the issues are tolerable and can be worked around if you’re aware of them in the first place. In any case, for the cost, there’s no arguing that you’ll be getting the best picture quality from DSLRs.

I can’t wait to see the second part of the Zacuto Great Camera Shootout where the T2i, late to the game, will be put to the test as well. Seeing as how Amazon is getting screwed on shipments for it, I’ll be waiting a while before I get to test my own.

So, I’m a little torn on this episode. Perhaps the greatest episode (according to reviews) this season is the one that I hyped up more than I should have. We got a lot of answers, and a lot of Richard’s backstory, but what we got so little of, which is what I anticipated are island answers. We only really learned two things about the island in this episode. One, how the Black Rock came to be on the island and two, how the statue came crashing down. For all of Richard’s time on the island, we really don’t get much of his time working under Jacob. This episode is pretty much from his time off the island up until he is recruited by Jacob. And that’s where my disappointment really lies. We got to know Richard, but it’s not the Richard I wanted to know.

But despite all that, it was a fairly good episode (as I’m told). We learned a lot more about the MIB and Jacob who are again struggling for power. In this case, Richard is the prize and Jacob won out. After all, do you really want to join someone who wants you to kill a man?

I did forget to mention, though probably because this answer was less definitive than the ones I’ve already mentioned, but the island was revealed to be a cork. Jacob described it as wine in a wine bottle. Trapped is the wine, or evil, and the cork, the island, is what’s stopping the release. But I’ve come to question just how “evil” MIB is. He wants to kill Jacob, sure, but he has his reason. Jacob won’t let him go home, to somewhere off the island, but as long as Jacob is alive, he isn’t allowed to. And we’re led to believe that Jacob is the one that took away his body, so if he is this pure evil, Jacob seems to be the one that has created him.

That’s not to say that Jacob is necessarily evil. Together, both Jacob and MIB seem to be pretty chummy, despite the urge to one up each other.

But nothing can really be theorized while there are so many variables left unsolved. Who was the kid that MIB saw? A higher power? Who set these rules up that said MIB can’t kill Jacob? Is MIB telling the truth? Is Jacob telling the truth? Why can’t MIB leave the island? What is stopping him from doing so?

All this and more…on LOST.

Oh, and I decided not to spend more time recapping old episodes. But I will say that the episode Dr. Linus was AMAZING, with Michael Emerson giving an incredible performance as Ben.