I watched Primer twice, read a detailed explanation about it and looked at a graph of events before I really knew what was going on. If you expect the same sort of compelling complexity from this director / writer's latest film, Upstream Color does not disappoint.
Read moreThe Weekend Review - The Raid: Redemption
For the abundance of movies being released every month, a lot of which are good, there are still a few genres that remain under-served. In my personal opinion martial arts action films are one such genre that I wish were explored with as much care as is demonstrated in The Raid. From the opening scenes this movie puts on show the tension and masterfully executed action that sticks around throughout the course of this 100 minute delight.
Read morethe dark knight rises
Hell yes this freaking movie. Have I mentioned my deep adoration of Batman? I read Batman comics whenever I am not working or playing video games; which is usually when I am eating. I must admit that I've only been a fan of The Dark Knight for a relatively short amount of time; about a year. In fact, it was Batman Arkham City which finally made me decide to find a way in.
Even before I fell into this obsession, I, like most people, really enjoyed Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. My appreciation for the films increased a lot after reading a number of the graphic novels and comics as I started to recognise the inspirations behind a lot of the decisions in the movies.
My excitement for The Dark Knight Rises this year has been unrivaled, and this is certainly saying a lot considering Pixar's Brave is set to come out this August. The first viewing at our local Cineworld was a Friday, but unfortunately I was busy, and so a Saturday watching it was. Before I move on, I just want to say that I feel so truly sorry for all of the people and families of those who were injured or lost their lives in the recent shooting during a The Dark Knight Rises screening. We have no idea what those people who were killed would have went on to achieve, and in that sense my sadness is paired with a very real anger.
On to the film, and let's do it chronologically; don't worry, I won't talk too much. The beginning of this film was a lot different to how I would have expected. The entire set up felt very slow, but was executed in a way that I didn't once feel even slightly bored. The introduction of Catwoman was truly spectacular, and Anne Hathaway absolutely nailed the character. It's in the depiction of the people of Gotham, and the atmosphere of the city itself, where you can instantly recognise the fact that Christopher Nolan intrinsically knows Batman.
Christian Bale's performance in this film was better than the preceding two. As the Batman, you feel as though that is still Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne, and not some random dude in a costume. All aspects of the character were played magnificently; Batman, the Playboy Bruce Wayne, and the real Bruce Wayne behind the masks.
I loved the interpretation of Bane; his newly devised origin story was incredibly clever, and the clear intelligence that he wielded was something I was hugely grateful for. We can all finally forget about that moron they called 'Bane' in Batman & Robin.
Not wanting to ramble on about every second of the movie, frame by frame, I will hit the ending, without spoiling anything of course. The beauty in these final moments are astounding, and the last five minutes of this film are some of my most favourite moments in any film, ever. Everything felt perfect in a "life's never really perfect" sort of way. Nothing felt contrived and despite the 164 minute run-time, I came out of the film wanting another three hours about what happens afterwards. Some things are best left unanswered though, and not being given an entire wrap-up is something I love in all media. I can now imagine what ever I want, but one thing is for sure, even my very best concoction of the events that subsequently took place could never make me feel as fulfilled as I did when those credits rolled.
indie game: the movie - the game
I suppose in a way the title of this post is actually unrelated to what I want to talk about; but let's just ponder what a game about this amazing movie would be like for a second. I'm thinking it's slightly similar to Amnesia: Dark Descent, in that you must work on your gamein order for it to ever be in a state for release, however, work on it too much and you will lose your sanity. Obviously, as an indie developer you will most definitely end up working on it too much, and will inevitably go mad.
Anyway; on to what I wanted to talk about. This superbly executed documentary was a beautiful snippet of the highs and lows of indie development. I, myself, have not yet been in a position to commit myself to a several year project. However, I can only imagine what a roller coaster of emotions it could prove to be. I felt an honesty and sincerity in every frame of the film, and the raw passion and real emotions truly came through.
As a besides, I very much felt bad about my skills as a programmer as a result of seeing these massively talented individuals struggle but produce so much amazing content. I adored Super Meat Boy, and have to ashamedly admit that I still have not yet played Fez. Regardless, the people in this look into the life of indie games developers were some of the most awesome people I have had insight to.
I would recommend the film to anybody, and considering the subject matter, that's not something I would have been expecting to say. The two faces behind the production of Indie Game: The Movie; Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky; clearly have a truly outstanding knack for dramatising what I would assume 'undramatisable'. The process is exciting somehow, without being over the top or underplayed.
So I guess I'm saying please watch the film, because after seeing it, despite how depressing games development proved it could be; it made me more thrilled to make games than ever.