So it’s Oscar time. Which means award times. And, well, I’m mildly disappointed with some of the nominations. I find that movies, video games, and so on can’t be judged subjectively or comparatively. Least not on a flat scale of quality+writing+cinematography+explosions. Here’s how I judge stuff: did it accomplish what it set out to do,… Continue reading Quality and The Oscars
Author: Joshua Tong
The Problem with Play Station All-Stars Battle Royale
Yeah, I know, the game came out almost three months ago. I got it for free in a bundle a while back and have been debating selling or keeping it. I’d played Play Station All-Stars Battle Royale before and figured it was alright. The other night, some friends and I decided to finally open it… Continue reading The Problem with Play Station All-Stars Battle Royale
The Unncessity of Dialogue
I’m in a filmmaking class here at NYU that focuses on visual storytelling. That is, no dialogue. At first that sounds like quite a challenge since it’s the script and speaking that tend to carry a story. So that got me thinking: what’re the benefits when we don’t have dialogue? Anyone remember the video game… Continue reading The Unncessity of Dialogue
Why Abrams Is The Man For Star Wars
A little more than a week ago it was officially announced that JJ Abrams would be directing the new Star Wars. Some people met this news with a measure of caution. Myself? I think Abrams is the person to direct it. Look at Mission: Impossible III. Abrams made his directorial debut with the sequel to… Continue reading Why Abrams Is The Man For Star Wars
Broken Pieces
I saw Silver Linings Playbook the other day and loved it (it is currently my favorite of this year’s Oscar nominations). For many reasons, really. Like the brilliantly intelligent script that doesn’t talk down to its audience, some great cinematography, stellar acting and so on. But what really got me was how the protagonists were… Continue reading Broken Pieces
In Defense of Fan Fiction
I’ve written my share of fan fiction. Be it about Star Wars, Bionicle adventures, or Mega Man stories; trust me: I’ve written my fanfics. Thing is, that was years ago. I’ve hardly done anything remotely fan fictiony (be it an animation or a piece of writing) in years. I guess I grew out of it;… Continue reading In Defense of Fan Fiction
Old Made New
So y’know how Les Misérables came out over Christmas? Of course you do: your neighbor’s been singing it incessantly since (which song? All of them, duh). While musicals are nothing new, Les Misérables was special because they recorded the actors singing live on set and added the orchestration in post-production. Usually, the songs are recorded… Continue reading Old Made New
2012 in Review
It’s 2013. Dang. So instead of a usual post I’m going to look through some of the posts from the prior year! I’m also supposed to be packing and more or less forgot about this week’s post and don’t have time to write one due to errands and packing. Oops. But hey! Five Most Popular/Viewed… Continue reading 2012 in Review
Cortana, Chloe, and Changing Trends
Cortana has always been my favorite character from the Halo games (after whom comes Buck [‘cuz he’s Nathan Filion] and Noble Six [‘cuz he’s me]). Ever since she told Guilty Spark to sod off in the original game, I’ve been sold on that blueish AI. Oh yeah, shoulda mentioned that. Despite Cortana being depicted as… Continue reading Cortana, Chloe, and Changing Trends
Villain Protagonists
I’m gonna preface this essay (that’s not a rant) by outright saying that I love Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. One of the many things that makes it so wonderful, though, is its deconstruction of its villain protagonist. But I’ll get to that in a bit. Villain protagonists are fun. Whether it’s light like someone with… Continue reading Villain Protagonists
Essays, Not Rants! 