Saturday August 29 2009 Movies

The Shrimpire Strikes Back

Trying to decide if District 9 is a message movie with explosions, or an explosion movie with a message. Either way, we all win.

district9mothership.jpg
I apologize for the title; I haven’t posted in a while and I’m still a little rusty.

The premise of District 9 was intriguing enough that I decided I was going to see it after the teaser trailer and didn’t pay much attention to ads, reviews, or trailers after that point. Even so, I knew a little bit more about the movie going in than I would’ve liked. Basically, anything past the basic idea which is established in the first two minutes of the movie is a spoiler — an alien ship makes first contact with Earth over Johannesburg, and the aliens don’t dominate but are instead forced to live in segregated slums outside the city. (The full trailer gives away a few of the best moments of the entire movie, so I’m reluctant to link to the official site, which plays the trailer automatically).

What I did hear, though, was that almost everybody liked it, and that almost nobody got what they expected.

I’d expected an allegory of Apartheid with a science fiction premise, basically along the lines of the “Can’t you see he’s half-white and I’m half-black?” episode of “Star Trek.” But given a 2009 update, which means: fake documentary footage. I’ve heard of other people complaining that it wasn’t more of an action movie, with more scenes of spaceships and/or people exploding. The actual movie, though, is something rarer and more interesting than either of those: it’s a genuinely original action movie that isn’t stupid.

The rest of the post is segregated into spoiler territory; people who haven’t seen the movie are not welcome.

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Sunday August 23 2009 Politics, Videogames

The Game of Life

A well-reviewed videogame based on a book by a homophobe sparks a discussion about the intersection of art, commerce, and how to be a good human.

gameoflife.jpg[Note: I've put in corrections to this since I first posted it, because there were several points where I was stating my assumptions as if they were fact. I should've done more research first. While I still feel very strongly about the topic, I've seen some extremely bone-headed and irresponsible allegations being tossed around, and I don't want to be guilty of doing the same thing.]

Yesterday on Gamasutra, Christian Nutt posted a column about the political and social ramifications that come with something as simple as buying the Xbox Live Arcade game Shadow Complex. The issue in particular is that the game is part of an ongoing collaboration with science fiction author, outspoken homophobe, and campaigner against equal rights for homosexuals Orson Scott Card.

Nutt’s column is thoughtful, balanced, personal, and well-written, but I have two problems with it. First is that he frames the discussion using a thread from the videogame message board NeoGAF. He has a reason for this, but the overall result is like attempting to spur a debate on health care reform based on a discussion among riders of a MUNI bus being driven by crap-flinging monkeys: you’ll get a reasonably representative sample of intelligent and idiotic opinions, but they’re presented in a forum run by inept morons who don’t just foster juvenile vapidity, they actually discourage genuine insight.*

But my bigger problem with the column is that I think Nutt goes to too much effort to be even-handed, presenting it as a complex, nuanced issue with valid beliefs on all sides. He has good reason for this, too: his main point isn’t about gay rights, but about the significance of games in society, and the too-quick dismissal that social issues don’t matter because “it’s just a game.” And although it’s an opinion piece, it’s presented on Gamasutra, a website about videogames. It’s not a forum for a debate on same-sex marriage or any other political or social issue, except insofar as games are affected.

Fortunately, this blog doesn’t have any such restriction.
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Wednesday August 5 2009 Disney, Personal

Update: Disneyland Still Fun

splashterror.jpgFrom the “posting just to say I’m still alive” department:

Last weekend I tagged along with some friends to Disneyland and it was, despite United Airlines’ best efforts, a great big ton o’ fun. One of the many things I like about Disney parks is that you can go hundreds of times, covering every inch of the park and even poking around back stage, and still manage to see something new each time you go.

Most of the time, the combination of familiar classics + a little bit of novelty + Dole Whips is enough to remind you why Disney does an outstanding job with the parks, but occasionally you’ll see something amazing. This trip I saw three:

  • Remodeled Sleeping Beauty Castle Tour: This has been closed off for years, rumored to be the blame of post-9/11 hypersensitivity. Even before then, it wasn’t a must-see; it’s always neat to go inside, but the Barbie doll figures re-enacting the dullest scenes weren’t exactly a big draw. Now, they’ve installed some amazing effects installations that combine 2D and 3D animation with flats and what seems to be rear projection and fancy particle systems and even an interactive section (like the brass apple at the entrance to the Snow White ride). I still have no idea how they did some of those effects.
  • The Toy Story Zoetrope in the Animation pavilion at DCA: I’d seen video of this in action, and apparently I’ve even been to the park since it was installed, but I never saw it working before. It’s absolutely incredible. I watched about five or six cycles of it and would’ve stayed longer if I’d been at the park for an extra day. There’s a “making of” display that explains the process and gives credit to the original zoetrope at the Studio Ghibli museum. So now I have to go to the Studio Ghibli museum.
  • Toy Story Midway Mania at DCA: This was open the last time I went to Disneyland, but we didn’t feel like waiting in a 50-minute line. As it turns out, that may have been a huge mistake. The idea of taking the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride, converting it to carnival games, and adding 3D glasses just didn’t sound that compelling. I’ve talked to people who’d been on it, but never heard a review more enthusiastic than “It’s fun.” All this is either a sign that I’m completely out of the loop in things Disney-related (possible), or this is one of the most under-sold attractions in Disney history (also possible), because it’s fantastic. The effects are perfect, the controls are responsive, and the whole thing feels just seamless — it’s not just a dark ride that gives you a score at the end, but a real game that makes you want to come back and play again. And unlike any Disney attraction I’ve seen in recent memory, it doesn’t feel as if any concessions have been made. All the money was put into exactly the right places.

Sometimes I’m amazed at how creativity can survive under all the constraints that Disney is under: not just the usual constraints of budget, but the fact that you’ve got to make something that appeals to millions of people but still isn’t watered down for the lowest common denominator. And as the technology gets more sophisticated, it gets even harder: how can you deliver something with that “wow factor” and a five-year production cycle, when tech that’s cutting-edge today will be available in a Best Buy one year from now? (I can still remember when the touch screens at Epcot were an amazing thing). They seem to be taking the right approach here: make sure that the technology isn’t the focus; the characters and personality and fun are.

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