Outland (1981)
Outland was one of the first AA rated movies I ever saw (which is now an obsolete rating in the UK). I remember that I was expecting the worst because the trailer implied that there was at least one exploding head featured during the film. Turns out there were two. Anyway the movie made a strong impression upon me at the age thirteen and I have revisited it numerous times since its release. I recently discovered that Outland had been given a Blu-ray release from Warner Brothers and decided to watch it once again but this time with a more critical eye rather than a nostalgic one.
Retro Gaming
Despite having a robust gaming PC and a multitude of new titles to choose from, I have recently found myself returning to older games. I even went so far as to track down a SNES emulator recently so I could revisit some classic titles. Retro gaming is a curious phenomenon and a more complex subject than you may expect. Having examined my own motives and feelings I have concluded that it is not driven purely by a rose tinted view of my gaming past. So I thought it would be interesting to list some of the different factors that have encouraged me to look backwards, rather than forwards. I suspect they may strike a chord with other gamers.
My Name is Nobody (1973)
As the Western waned in popularity in the seventies, the Italian market was still further revising this already stylised genre with a distinctly comedic element. The uniquely European approach to slapstick was introduced as a mean to try and explore the genre in new ways. Unlike US comedy Westerns such as The Hallelujah Trail and There Was a Crooked Man, their Italians counterparts seemed to have an allegorical theme and as ever a heavy political sub-text. They were also steeped in the unique audio and visual style of their makers.
Pontypool (2009)
If you like your entertainment to be perfunctory, devoid of any requirement for you to think, or use your imagination then do not watch Pontypool. If you are expecting a bog standard zombie film, then Pontypool will not be for you. However if you are tired of the generic studio offerings that are slowly killing the genre, have an enquiring mind and fancy seeing a different take on an established theme, then do watch Pontypool. It's not without its faults and does sail close to the wind with regards to being pretentious. But then again, semiotics is a complex subject.
Mr. Tickle by Roger Hargreaves (1971)
Mr. Tickle was written in 1971 and if we wish to gain a greater understanding of this work, then we need to consider the political and historical landscape of the time, as so much of it is reflected in the subtleties of the text. This was the year that the UK changed its currency through decimalization. While Cambodia was ravaged by the Khmer Rouge, America opened Disney World as a shrine to capitalism and consumerism. These were turbulent times which saw the passing of old established world orders. The idea of whether the individual can have a meaningful impact upon the world during such an era is examined and stripped bare in Mr. Tickle, if one takes the time to find it.
The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes
It may not come as a surprise to you that Sherlock Holmes is the most filmed fictional character in the history of cinema. His universal appeal has been embraced globally and the great detective has been continuously revisited and adapted over the years. You only have to look at the BBC show Sherlock, to see how the character has been seamlessly re-imagined for a new generation. It is this versatile quality that is perhaps Holmes’ greatest strength. We are all familiar with the logical thinking and prodigious intellect of the sleuth, yet the enigma surrounding his personal life and formative years provides endless scope for exploration. It has proven to be fertile ground for film makers over the last century.
The Enigma of Role-play
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned over the years from reading forums, blog posts and chatting online, it’s the fact that gamers play games for many different reasons. Furthermore these differences can be quite pronounced and often you’ll find each respective group equally dumbfounded by each other’s motivations and personal preferences. As a result gaming is a very broad church and certainly not the homogenous, stereotypical group that the some would have you believe.
Trek Nation (2010)
Trek Nation is a relatively straight forward documentary with a clear premise. It follows Eugene Roddenberry’s search to find out more about his father Gene and to understand the cultural phenomenon of Star Trek. Directed by Scott Colthorp the film endeavours to explore the enduring appeal of the franchise as Eugene discovers more about the father he didn't know and the show that passed him by. Through interviews with cast and crew members from all five Star Trek shows, as well as fans and celebrities who were influenced by the show while growing up, Trek Nation methodically follows a linear path. Yet this uncomplicated approach proves to very effective and surprising candid.
Binge-viewing
During the seventies I watched TV programs as and when they were broadcast. This was not through choice but because that was the only means available. Therefore the advent of the VCR in the eighties was a very liberating experience. However although I was free from having to watch at a specific time, I still tended to view recorded programs on a weekly basis, rather than allow them to accumulate. All the technology was doing was freeing me from the broadcasters schedule and allowing me to create my own.
The Relationship between Gaming and Cinema
The distinctions between film and games are have certainly blurred over the last decade. Modern games are often visually cinematic and frequently include soundtracks by established film composers. They are clearly influenced by prevailing style and trends that emerge from Hollywood. Yet simply plagiarising set pieces from popular cinema and revelling in excess for its own sake does not a necessarily make a good game. Involving mechanics is one of the keys to success. A strong narrative is another. The latter is often neglected, leaving a market littered with products based around excruciating clichés, hackneyed storylines and painful dialogue.
Discovering Music Through Games and Movies
Growing up in the seventies I was very fortunate to have exposure to a wide variety of music. My parents were older than most and therefore their personal frame of reference musically was the forties and fifties. During my youth there were a limited number of music programs on TV and radio, so I would often have to sit through an entire show just to hear the artists that I liked. As a result I have become familiar with a wide selection of musical genres and now have broad musical tastes. However although there is far more choice available these days, it doesn’t necessarily mean that audiences are more musically literate. Solely listening to a radio station or TV channel that exclusively plays a specific style or genre, can leave its listeners musically isolated.
Carnacki the Ghost-Finder by William Hope Hodgson (1913)
William Hope Hodgson (November 15, 1877 – April 1918) was an English author with a penchant for baroque and arcane horror, fantasy and science fiction. His style and insight drew heavily on his own colourful experiences. The son of a Priest he ran away to sea at an early age and travelled widely. He was a keen amateur photographer and achieved some renown as a bodybuilder and escapologist. He died in World War I at the age of 40. Although moderately successful during his lifetime it was not until after his death that his work, especially his short stories, received the acclaim they deserved. This was mainly due to posthumous publication of all the material regarding one Thomas Carnacki; investigator of the supernatural.
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
After the ludicrous (but fun) excesses of Moonraker, the twelfth James Bond film For Your Eyes Only took a “back to basics” approach to its plot. Former Bond editor John Glen was promoted to director and remained so for five movies. The movie is unusual compared to other Bond films in several ways. It directly references Tracy Bond, 007’s deceased wife, with an opening sequence showing Bond placing flowers on here grave. Apart from a passing comment in The Spy Who Loved Me, this has never been done since and has now been eliminated from the plot in the 2006 reboot of the franchise. For Your Eyes Only is also the first Bond movie to include the title song artist in the opening credits.
Do You Have a Gaming Philosophy?
We all play games for different reasons. Some will argue that “fun” is the common factor that unites all gamers, but it’s an extremely subjective term. I would argue that we all experience fun in our own way and therefore it is not a universal experience for all. The things that I enjoy in a game and that motivate me may be the complete opposite of the things that you like. It is our individual personalities and personal tastes that shape our motivations, causing us to gravitate towards certain genres of games as well as types of game play.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
I had the pleasure of watching The Adventures of Robin Hood recently, a film I’ve seen many times over the years. I was first introduced to this movie as a child on a Sunday afternoon when the BBC would often show Hollywood classics. My father was very enthusiastic about this movie and waxed lyrical about Erich Wolfgang Korngold iconic score. It had a profound effect upon me upon my initial viewing and set the benchmark very high for subsequent swashbucklers I saw. It has shaped my views on how a good action/adventure movie should be constructed and the fact that no matter how many impressive set pieces you may have, a strong script, written in the appropriate idiom, is always required.
Capricorn One (1978)
In the middle seventies, America was forced to come to terms with the failure of the Vietnam War and the political fallout of the Watergate Conspiracy. It was a difficult time for the nation both socially and psychologically and naturally this manifested itself in the films of the time. The unquestioning faith in the establishment was replaced with an air of cynicism and the rise of the anti-hero. The enemy was not just the Soviet Union but potentially the national government as it pursued its own agenda. So the conspiracy theory was born and became an integral part of Hollywood.
The Future of MMOs
There is currently an AMA (ask me anything) over at Anook which is providing writing prompts for the ongoing Blaugust event. I was asked to share my thoughts about the MMO genre and where it is going by a Stropp who asked the following question: “Where do you think the MMO genre is heading in the next 5 years? The next 10? Beyond that?” I will most certainly try to address this conundrum because it’s one that MMO gamers frequently return to and with good reason. The MMO Genre has change tremendously since the late 90s when Ultima Online took this niche market game and made it popular. Furthermore it would appear that this evolutionary process shows no sign of slowing and change can often cause consternation.
Killer Fish (1979)
Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Similarly in the world of cinema, for every successful movie there’s always a cheap Italian cash in version, usually of inverse quality. However unlike the laws of physics, the rules governing knock off films can sometimes be wrong and occasionally you’ll get an enjoyable title. Consider Lucio Fulci’s Zombi 2 AKA Zombie or Antonio Margheriti’s The Last Hunter (L’ultimo cacciatore). Both are quite good movies in their own right, despite being shameless copies of Dawn of the Dead and Apocalypse Now. They both are quite lurid and try to pack as much sensationalism into their running time as possible but they also make a decent attempt at a story. The productions also have an exotic European charm to them. The cinematography, soundtracks and general ambience is subtly different from their US counterparts. Killer Fish shares all these qualities and despite lapses in logic is an enjoyable heist and caper movie with some Piranha thrown in for good measure
Gaming and Personal Health
Gaming and personal health at first glance appear to be mutually exclusive subjects. News coverage about these issues more often than not implies that gaming is detrimental to both ones physical and mental well-being. Apart from titles that utilise motion sensing devices such as the Kinnect and require the player to physically move, gaming is a sedentary pastime. Combine that with a society that has an already broken relationship with food and their own personal health in general and there is scope for a wealth of medical problems.
Zombi 2 (1979)
If you are a fan of horror movies then sooner or later Lucio Fulci’s Zombi 2 (also known as Zombie, Island of the Living Dead, Zombie Island, Zombie Flesh-Eaters and Woodoo) will appear on your radar. For good or ill, this movie looms large within the genre and has a mixed reputation. Even by current cinematic standards, this movie is a gore-fest and it still has the ability to make viewers squirm. It is a curious phenomenon that a relatively low budget and obscure Italian cash-in on George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, has managed to achieve such an infamous, iconic and cult status.