I Love DVDs

I finally got my DVD-playing software working again, loyal reader. How I missed watching my movies! For a film buff like me, DVDs are a dream come true.

 

I’ll come right out and say it: I’m a special features aficionado. In particular, I enjoy a good commentary track. Most of my friends would rather not listen to them but for me, if they’re done right, they’re a fascinating companion to the movie you’re watching. Right now, for example, I am halfway through the audio commentary of Reservoir Dogs on the special 15th Anniversary DVD (the one that comes in a tin gas-can-shaped case). It’s full of insights from Quentin Tarantino himself and others associated with the movie. Popping in an interesting commentary is like watching a movie with a knowledgeable film buff.

 

While I can appreciate commentary tracks that have been spliced together, my favourite kind is the group commentary, where participants can actually play off each other. My favourite group commentary actually is also the very first track I’ve ever listened to: the one for Eight Legged Freaks. The movie itself is a fun little throwback to the 50s giant bug movies, and the commentary track is provided by the director, producer, actor David Arquette and a few other cast and crew members. It’s apparent from listening to them that they’re a bunch of guys and girls who’ve had a great time making the film and developed a genuine friendship over it. The commentary for Ghostbusters had the same feeling.

 

Other types of commentaries are the ones provided by either the director alone or someone who really knows movies. A good example of that is Roger Ebert’s commentaries on Dark City, Citizen Kane and Casablanca. He’s, as always, full of fascinating observations and appreciations that make you notice new things to enjoy about those excellent films.

 

There are, of course, plenty of disappointing commentaries. Surprisingly, the worst commentaries I have ever heard were on two of my favourite comedies: Spaceballs and Airplane! In the former, Mel Brooks and two of the producers leave a lot of dead air and seem to have nothing really to say about the movie. In the latter, the Zucker brothers go into a lot of details that really don’t interest anyone, such as how the meeting with the potential financial backers went. Airplane! is the first commentary I actually turned off halfway through because I was bored to death.

 

Another new phenomenon is the downloadable commentary track. Especially a Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan’s wet dream come true: Rifftrax! The website provides downloadable mp3 tracks by Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett and other former cast members of MST3K that you can buy for a very reasonable price of 2.99 and play in synch with your movie. What a great way to get Mike and "the bots" to riff on the big-name movies you’ve always wished they could get their mitts on!

 

Of course, nothing beats watching a movie with a friend who also appreciates the film. But if you want new insights into your favourite movies while having a quiet movie night at home, commentary tracks can provide you with a wealth of fun and interesting tidbits. Give them a chance!

 

 

Video Game Review – Super KO Boxing

Two years ago, I would never have imagined such a thing possible, loyal reader, but I have to admit that I am hooked on my cell phone. I used to look down my nose a bit, I confess, at people with cell phones, at least those who used it as a status symbol. But ever since getting one myself a month after moving to Newfoundland, I’ve become inseparable from my Samsung 920.

 

One of the reasons I like it so much is that I can download games on it and play them while waiting for or riding the bus. It’s a great time-killer. And of all the games I’ve played on my cell, one stands out as a favourite: Super KO Boxing, by Glu Mobile. I have played a few of Glu Mobile’s releases and so far I must say I am impressed with their products.

 

Super KO Boxing is the spiritual offspring of one of the all-time great Nintendo games, Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out. Almost everyone of my generation is familiar with that classic. The premise of SKB is the same: you are a young upstart boxer who must fight his way through various circuits and eventually become world champion. As in Punch-Out, you face off against a stable of rather cartoony boxers, each with their own gimmicks. Some memorable opponents include Pwnish3r, a skinny and bespectacled nerd, Tiki Tam, a strange Polynesian medicine man with a magic wooden mask, Crenshaw, a Mr. T lookalike with a fearsome headbutt and Tony Tutu, the champion, a tubby crossdresser with pigtails who nevertheless packs a mean punch.

 

Again as in Punch-Out, the controls are simple and easy to master: punch the face, punch the body, block and dodge. The more punches you land, the more your Superpunch meter increases. When you have enough power saved up, you can unleash a powerful Super uppercut, in exactly the same fashion as Little Mac in Punch-Out.  The simplicity of the controls is perfectly suited to a mobile phone, where the positioning of the keys can be awkward in so many games.

 

Just like in Punch-Out, the key to victory in Super KO Boxing is to figure out your opponent’s attack pattern and counterpunch. For example, you’ll quickly realize that 15 Cents’ bling sparkles before he punches, so you can use that to your advantage.

 

The game also has tremendous replay value. You can of course box through increasingly-difficult circuits until you defeat the world champion. If you’re bored with that, you can try your mettle at an Endurance fight, where you can see how many opponents you can defeat until you’re finally knocked out. As if that wasn’t enough, you can also do Challenges, where you’re dared to defeat your given opponents with certain restrictions. For example, you would have to defeat musclebound, steroid-fueled Furious Fjord without blocking.

 

As is usual with Glu Mobile games, the graphics are crisp and the colours bright, as befits a game that goes for a cartoony rather than realistic feel. You also have the option of turning on "Vibrate", which will make your phone vibrate when you are punched, to put you even more in the action.

 

The game’s only weakness would be the sound design, which is a bit too basic. It consists of the sound of the bell marking the beginning and end of each round, as well as a short intro music for each opponent. I would like to have seen some crowd noises in the background, perhaps some optional music during the fight, anything to liven things up a little aurally speaking during a match. Even the main menu doesn’t have a catchy little theme.

 

Despite the sound issue, which is minor especially if you play the game on the bus and don’t feel like wearing headphones, Super KO Boxing is easily one of the most entertaining and satisfying entries in the relatively new field of mobile gaming. It’s a great little time killer that I think I’ll be playing on and off for years to come!

Preparing For The Season

You know what, loyal reader? I have decided that this year, I would not wait for the last minute to make my Christmas preparations, especially not my annual animated Christmas card. In fact, I’m doing some preliminary sketches for the latter right after finishing this post.

 

For those of you who aren’t in the know, I have been making a new animated Christmas card every year since 2001. They are similar to the Halloween card that I shared with you a few days ago. In fact, during the lead-up to the Holidays, I intend to start posting those Christmas cards once in a while so those of you who have not seen them will get a chance to. I am rather proud of them and I’m glad that those of you who have known me for years have enjoyed them too.

 

After last year’s Christmas parade, which was a departure in style for me, I intend this year to come back to my favoured format: a Christmas scene with little interactive goodies hidden throughout. I’m not 100% settled on a concept yet, but the image that tempts me the most is a child’s bedroom on Christmas Eve, the little one peacefully asnooze and dreaming of the toys he or she will be getting come morning. Perhaps the floor of the room will have various toys that could get up to some animated hijinks and tomfoolery when clicked. Who knows? I usually start the card on one idea and I end up modifying it all throughout. At one point, the Halloween card you saw was supposed to have gallows and a big haunted castle in the distance, but I decided to go with a stone tower and a dead tree instead.

 

Working on animated projects like that has been a hobby of mine for years. I love the feeling I get when my creative juices are flowing and I can work countless hours without rest, touching up a line here, a shape there, smoothing out an animated character’s steps. It’s a magical feeling, like I’m creating this little 320 X 240 universe and populating it with objects and characters. Those of you with artistic tendencies will understand the feeling, I’m sure. When inspiration grabs you, it’s like your head can’t hold all the ideas you have and you can’t wait to let those ideas come out and take a life of their own.

 

What about you, loyal reader? Have you started your Christmas preparations yet? I know for a fact some of you have already begun their Christmas shopping. Pretty soon the city of St. John’s will come alive at night with Christmas music, Christmas colours and Christmas spirit. Slowly but surely, Christmas is approaching, and this big kid is starting to feel the excitement!

 

The Diaper Party

Today, loyal reader, I feel like the luckiest man in the world. I’m blessed with a group of friends who are like a family to me.

 

As I mentioned in my last post, I was going to be spending the night in Mount Pearl for a get-together with friends. It turns out that they had planned a surprise diaper party for me. Unbeknowst to them, I was on to their little plan (and I had the Post-It to prove it, dammit!), but it was still a gesture that touched me deep and that I’ll never forget.

 

For those of you unfamiliar with the term (as I was until I learned Kathy was pregnant), a diaper party is when friends throw you a party and bring diapers (hence the title) and other baby stuff to prepare for the arrival of the little one. Now that I mention it, that’s a lot like a baby shower. Mmh… is there anyone of you who can post a comment explaining the difference? Inquiring minds are rather curious…

 

Whatever name you want to give to what they did, I really want to thank Andrew, Holly, Kim, Tom, Doug, Meatball (not his real name) and Jeanine for their presence and the diapers (and gift cards). It humbles me to know that I have such selfless and supportive friends by my side as I walk this road to fatherhood. It means a hell of a lot and I am grateful for it every day.

 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, guys. And to the rest of my loyal readers, I hope you too have in your life people who are so amazing and supportive.

Glad Tidings

It’s Friday, loyal reader! Well, for most people it is anyway. Unfortunately, I am working tomorrow but it still is nice to know that most people are enjoying the end of a long week.

 

I would like to take tonight’s blog post to welcome into the world my new nephew Thomas! My sister gave birth earlier this week to a healthy baby boy, her second child and her first boy. Mother and child are both doing well and I’m looking forward to seeing pictures of my nephew quite soon.

 

The news couldn’t help but remind me of my own upcoming fatherhood. The closer the ultrasound date comes, the more excited I get. Excited and a tad worried, as the challenges will be great, the stress tremendous and the responsibility incalculable. But despite the worries, my mind keeps drifting to the joy I’ll feel once I hold my son or daughter in my arms for the first time. I don’t think anything can truly prepare me for that moment, but all I want is for the baby to be healthy, that’s the important. I will be so proud to have brought a new life in this world, my own flesh and blood. It’s quite overwhelming, and visualizing everything sometimes floods my brain: the first year, where everything is uncertain, new, exciting, tentative. Infancy, with its series of firsts and the exploration of the world around them, childhood and its myriad challenges, then teenage, where problems multiply. I know, I know, one day at a time, but what can I say? I’m a future-oriented person.

 

Speaking of one day at a time, there is still one more day of work ahead of me, loyal reader, so I shall bid you good night and wish you a very pleasant weekend! I’m afraid that I will not be holding court here tomorrow night as I am invited to a little gathering with friends that will more than likely keep me overnight, so I will see you again on Sunday evening!

 

 

10 Days Of Halloween Movies Part 10 – Halloween

Good evening and happy late Halloween, loyal reader! I sincerely apologize for posting this one day late. My Internet connection has been down for the last 24 hours and I finally got it back up, frustratingly, having completely missed the timing of my Halloween countdown. I beg you to bear with me as I republish this post meant for Halloween night. To close the 10 Days Of Halloween Movies on just the right note, it’s only fitting that I present to you a movie tailor-made for the occasion. I’m speaking of course of John Carpenter’s Halloween!

 

 

Halloween (John Carpenter, 1980)

 

Throughout movie history, there are films that became known as templates. They are movies that have single-handedly spawned a whole new genre simply due to the fact that their success caused others to try and  imitate them. Jaws is such a film. Star Wars is such a film. And Halloween is such a film.

 

Although it was one of the earliest slasher movies, it did not invent the genre. The roots of the slasher flick can be found deep, and one might even consider Psycho to be the grandaddy of them all. No, Halloween wasn’t the first slasher movie. However, its success inspired countless others because it was the first monstrously profitable slasher movie.

 

Made for a budget of $320,000, Halloween racked up millions at the box-office and for a long time held the crown of most profitable movie ever made. And therein lies the reason why Halloween has been imitated so much. Budding filmmakers and established production companies alike saw that they could make a movie dirt cheap by finding a certain location, taking a bunch of young actors who will work for a song, schedule a week or two of shooting and voilà! You got yourself a cheap movie that’s sure to turn a profit due to audiences’ newly-discovered appetite for psycho-killer films.

 

And like other template movies, the imitators completely misunderstood what made the original great.

 

The film presents the event of a fateful Halloween day and night on which a ruthless and emotionless homicidal maniac named Michael Myers escapes from the asylum where he was kept since the age of 6. He was put in there for killing his teenage sister in an unforgettable opening scene. Free once more, Michael heads to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. The same town where a young woman named Laurie Strode is stuck babysitting her neighbour’s kids while her friends are out having a good time.

 

Hot on Michael’s trail is Dr. Loomis, the psychiatrist who has been studying him for years and knows how dangerous he is. Dr. Loomis will do all he can to bring Michael back to where he is convinced he belongs: away from the world. After all, only Dr. Loomis knows the truly evil nature of Michael Myers. And as the masked killer stalks Laurie and her friends, who will survive the night he came home?

 

I believe Michael Myers to be the scariest of the Big Three slashers (Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger). Whereas Jason is volatile and angry and Freddy is sadistic and wisecracking, Michael Myers never speaks and never has any emotions. He simply is an embodiment of death itself. Notice that Michael never runs, he always calmly walks after his victims. He is patient and relentless, just like death itself. You can hit him, incapacitate him, kick him in the nuts and he won’t get mad. He’ll simply pick himself up and keep going after you. You can run and delay the inevitable, but you cannot escape. Just like death itself. That is where Rob Zombie dropped the ball with his recent remake, making Michael a misunderstood and troubled child who was tormented and driven mad by both a psychopatic nature and endless abuse.

 

As I mentioned, despite being a slasher film, Halloween is arguably the best the genre has to offer. Director John Carpenter knows how to make the best of his resources and focuses on creating a very creepy atmosphere in an everyday setting, simply by the way he composes the shots. For example, a lot of the time the action will be focused on something in the foreground, while if you are paying attention you will notice Micheal lurking in the background. Look for an instance of this when one of Laurie’s friends, who is also babysitting, has to go to the outside shed.

 

What I find mostly frightening about the films is its use of familiar settings. Gothic horror films set in old spooky castles or haunted houses were good, but I couldn’t relate to the locations. However, when a point-of-view shot from Laurie’s perspective looks across the street to a normal-looking house, with the silhouette of Michael calmly but relentlessly approaching, I couldn’t help but notice for weeks afterwards how I can look out my own window and see the nightbour’s porch across the street in the middle of the night. And, of course, imagine a figure coming right towards me. The same applies at the end of the movie, where the haunting theme plays and shots of a darkened staircase and a darkened hallway close the film. Guess what? I had a darkened staircase and a darkened hallway in my very own house, and let me tell you it was a task to go there with the lights out after seeing the film!

 

All this great scene composition, clever use of light and familiar settings and the haunting music combined to make Halloween a landmark film from a very talented director. And that’s precisely why the imitators never came close to duplicating Halloween’s quality. They decides instead to throw in lots of gore and outrageous kills. Don’t get me wrong, a good slasher flick is a lot of fun to watch, but it’s not exactly high-quality filmmaking. Halloween, however, does manage to be both entertaining and very well-made. Do not judge the series by its sequels. Seek out and rent the original if you haven’t seen it. Trust me, it’s more than worth it and will give you a better understanding of template films.

 

With this the eponymous movie of the season, we bring to a close this 10 Days Of Halloween Movies series of blog posts. I really can’t thank you enough, loyal reader, for your faithful and regular visits and for the comments you have made. I hope I entertained you and made you discover a movie or two. Thanks to movie buffs extraordinaire Andrew for his contribution to part 7 and Preston and Lee for their takes on certain of the movies I’ve chosen.

 

And as I promised, I am leaving you with a surprise for being such a great and faithful friend, O loyal reader. I have found again an interactive, animated Halloween card I made three years ago. Click here to open it in a new browser window and use your mouse to click on various parts of the scene for little surprises and animations. I am rather proud of the surprise you will have upon clicking the well. It took forever to animate but I think you will agree the result is fun. Oh, and you will need the Marcomedia Flash plug-in to view the card, if you don’t have it already.

 

Once again, thank you for your encouragements and readership. I shall see you again tomorrow for a return to regular blogging about whatever will come to mind! Until then… pleasant dreams!