When The Lord of The Rings was first published, there was a lot of talk about its relation to the second World War. It got to the point that in the foreword to a later edition, Tolkien explicitly said that no, it was not in any way an allegory of World War Two. Tolkien wasn’t… Continue reading But What Does It All Mean?
Author: Joshua Tong
Pixel Problem
I remember seeing Patrick Jean’s short film “Pixels” when it first hit the internet a few years ago. It’s a cool short film with a fun concept. It does what it does and is great for it. Then there was Freddie Wong’s “Old School vs New School” which took a similar idea and, though not… Continue reading Pixel Problem
Another Life
I’m me. That’s pretty obvious. I’m a biracial guy in my mid-twenties who lives in New York. I’ve had my own relatively interesting life, but at the end of the day it’s mine. Barring some crazy The Matrix or Total Recall-esque invention, I’m only ever going to live my life. It’s the only experience I’ll… Continue reading Another Life
Linear Versus Open World
E3 was this week, which means most major video game companies were showing off the upcoming games they have lined up. There's a lot to be excited for: Star Wars Battlefront looks great, Dishonored 2 is getting Emily Kaldwin as a protagonist, Kingdom Hearts 3 is finally in development. But me being me, Uncharted 4:… Continue reading Linear Versus Open World
Narrative Contracts
Early on in Borderlands 2 the player encounters a fence of electricity in between them and their goal. Claptrap, the voice over the radio, tells you there’s a fusebox on the other side and that if you run fast enough, you won’t take damage from the fence. Your objective changes, now saying to run into… Continue reading Narrative Contracts
Cold War Relevance
Alright. Quick one today because it’s my birthday and I have plans. I talk a lot about science fiction and how often it works as a way to commentate on current events and what not. Sometimes, it’s a lot easier to look at the interplay of fiction when it’s something that happened in the past… Continue reading Cold War Relevance
I’m Going To Use The Word ‘Intertextual’ Because I Want To
Intertextuality is a fun word to say. It’s an even funner concept: it’s the idea that one text will reference another. And I've been on a vacation of sorts this week so I'm going to write about it. See, when intertextual literature lets its world be informed by the outside. Chuck, for example, uses it to… Continue reading I’m Going To Use The Word ‘Intertextual’ Because I Want To
Obligatory Fury Road Entry
I haven’t seen any of the old Mad Max trilogy, more for lack of bother than anything. Pop culture osmosis ensured I knew what it was about, though; post-apocalyptic wasteland, lots of leather, cars, machismo. So Fury Road flew below my radar during much of the lead up to its release. That is, until the… Continue reading Obligatory Fury Road Entry
Top Nine Movies of 2014
Eventually you get to the point when you realize if you keep putting off this list until you’ve seen everything you wanna see you’re never gonna write the darn list. So I’m writing it. So here’s my list of top nine movies for 2014; nine because I’m leaving a space for movies I haven’t seen… Continue reading Top Nine Movies of 2014
Let’s Talk About That Whole Black Widow Thing
People are mad on the internet. As usual. The hubbub recently, though, is about choices made regarding Black Widow in Age of Ultron. Now, I’m a big fan of Black Widow. I’d really like her to get her own movie and Nathan Edmonson’s run on the comics has been fantastic (issue #13 is framed on… Continue reading Let’s Talk About That Whole Black Widow Thing
