THE CASUALty REPORT

Track of the Day - 12/31/11

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 07:38:00 +0000

The Waterboys - "This Is the Sea"

Well, it's New Year's Eve here at The Casualty Report (and elsewhere, but who cares about anything else, right?) and that means it's time for another Track of the Day! Today's track goes all the way back to 1985 when British band The Waterboys released their album, This Is the Sea. I actually first discovered The Waterboys through random sampling of my parents' CD collection when I was about 11 years old, and I've just recently reconnected with the group.*

This Is the Sea fits into a fairly small genre dubbed "Big Music" that had a surge in Scotland in the 80s, and the title track is perhaps the "biggest" song on the album, filled with lush, naturalistic instrumentation that builds and crashes alongside the water imagery in the lyrics. It seemed like an appropriate choice for the new year, as 2011 was a pretty tough year for me, and statistically speaking, you as well (actually, according to the Blogger tracking stats you have a high chance of being a very confused German that stumbled on this site by accident, so I don't really know how this past year treated you) and the song deals a lot with putting the past in perspective and moving on to the future. So, here's wishing you a happy new year, and let's make 2011 the river, and 2012 the sea.

Previous days' connection: Yeah, both tracks had Karen O. in them. All of you imaginary readers missed out on an easy chance to win some great imaginary prizes with that one. This connection is a bit harder, so here's a hint: it has to do with a repeated lyric in "This Is the Sea." Good luck!

*Fun (or not) sidenote: My musical tastes as a wee lad were very strange, in retrospect, as I combined the shitty pop of the time with completely random music from my parents. I might have been the only person whose stereo system would alternate between R.E.M.'s Monster, Ryan Adams' Gold and The Waterboys, and Backstreet Boys and Pokemon 2 B A Master. I also really liked Rusted Root. What the fuck.

Track of the Day - 12/22/11

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:16:00 +0000

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Cheated Hearts"

Ok, the connection between today's track and the last is so obvious I feel a bit like I cheated (see what I did there?), but I've just been in a Yeah Yeah Yeahs mood the past couple weeks. "Cheated Hearts" is off their 2006 album Show Your Bones, an excellent record that I much prefer to their debut Fever to Tell (and an opinion shared by virtually nobody else). The track builds beautifully behind driving drums and Karen O.'s powerful vocals, and seems to me to be one of the most cheerful-sounding and optimistic breakup songs out there - not to mention it just sounds fucking awesome.

Previous day's connection: Couple options here really, as Santigold and Switch from Major Lazer have done a bunch of work together: Santigold is featured on the Major Lazer track "Hold the Line," and Switch has remixed tracks off Santigold's self-titled debut album.

Random Topics - How Hyperbole is KILLING THE INTERNET

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 06:05:00 +0000

As I trekked across the majestic lands of the Internet this fine evening, I discovered this article from the blog Boing Boing, which interrupted my appreciation of the night's sojourn and left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. That's what she said?

Anyway, the entry is a reprinting of a plea from a group called Fight for the Future concerning the Protect IP Act, an anti-piracy bill making its way through Congress. Here at The Casualty Report I normally like to keep things focused on the things that really matter, like fantasy books and movie trailers, and I try to avoid blogging about political matters because I have the fear that it will cause me to break out in boils and spout insufferable vomitus to everyone I come across. But 1) This particular matter is somewhat related to the stuff I cover and 2) This rant of mine isn't so much designed to talk about the substance of the bill, but rather the manner in which its opponents choose to argue.

I'll say this: opponents of the Protect IP Act make a lot of good points, and I agree that the bill as written is probably not a good idea and should be retooled. But I'll also say this: reading that Fight for the Future piece almost made me change my mind out of pure spite. I used to read Boing Boing pretty frequently, but I grew tired of the level of hyperbole and superiority that manifested itself in all of the more political postings the editors there made. Anything that came close to censorship or government regulation of electronic media was AN ATTACK ON FREEDOM made by simpletons who didn't understand the complexities of the Internet and had never even seen a computer - and it's not even that there isn't an element of truth to that sort of rhetoric, but it just struck me as being so unnecessarily smug and one-sided that it became off-putting. The piece I'm writing about now exemplifies my problems to the extreme, as these pull-quotes show:

"The only thing that is going to stop Hollywood from owning the Internet and everything we do, is if there is a big surprise Internet backlash starting right now. "

"This is the worst piece of Internet legislation in history - the lawmakers who have been sponsoring (Leahy, Lamar Smith, Conyers) this bill need to be shamed by the Internet community for wasting taxpayer dollars on a bill that would break the very fabric of the Internet"

"I've been trying to think about whether or not the world is going to end if this bill passes like it's supposed to -- and the answer is, "kind of yes"."

Perhaps it's the frustrated optimist in me talking, but I've been growing more and more fed up with this kind of bullshit - shouldn't people be able to make an effective argument without belittling or demonizing their opponents or resorting to annoyingly exaggerated statements? Referring to "Hollywood" as a cohesive and purposeful entity out to destroy America pisses me off whether it comes from conservatives or liberals, as I think it's a completely misleading tactic designed to score cheap points by resonating with frustrated idiots (okay, maybe I'm doing a little demonizing of myself). There are so many components that make up "Hollywood", components with wildly different values and interests, and I highly doubt that any of them have a desire to "own the Internet and everything we do" - there are parties like the MPAA and the studios that clearly have a vested interest in taking action to stop piracy, but I doubt they have nefarious plans to institute a takeover of the Internet. Furthermore, I don't think lawmakers need to be "shamed" by people for supporting this bill, and I believe that portraying the situation like there is only one morally acceptable position and supporting the Protect IP Act means you want to RULE THE INTERNET actually hurts the case Fight for the Future is trying to make. And that is a real shame, because as I said there are some pretty compelling reasons not to support the bill, but these reasons can be hard to access through all the layers of empty, judgmental rhetoric.

I've been trying to think about whether or not the world is going to end if articles like this keep getting posted -- and the answer is, of course not, it's a fucking blog post. Neither is the world going to end if a bill regulating the Internet is passed, however, and the world certainly isn't going to change for the better if people can't learn to advocate their beliefs without sounding like unhinged prophets of doom. I realize Fight for the Future is attempting to...well, fight for the future - but I know I for one would respond a lot better without the hyperbole. And I also fully realize that I can only speak for myself; I've just become so frustrated with the forms that political discourse takes - to me it makes sense why many Americans seem to have no interest in politics at all. It's not that they don't care about things like the Protect IP Act, it's just that whenever anyone talks to them about it, they sound like a terrible car salesman.

So, in conclusion, I'll just say I don't think the Protect IP Act is a great idea. As Google chairman Eric Schmidt said, "I would be very, very careful if I were a government about arbitrarily [implementing] simple solutions to complex problems." Notice he forgot to mention the part about how the world as we know it will be UTTERLY DESTROYED by the bill's passage. Okay, rant over.

Random Topics - Worldbuilders 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:30:00 +0000

Just a quick post to spread the word about author Patrick Rothfuss' awesome annual charity drive, called Worldbuilders. I wrote about it last year, but in brief: Worldbuilders was started by Rothfuss, and gives people who donate money to Heifer International via his site a chance to win some cool prizes - mostly genre novels, but there is always a lot of great stuff in the mix. If you're feeling charitable or just want a chance to snag some new books, check it out!

Music Review - Cults

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 23:56:00 +0000

Cults
Cults
In the Name Of/Columbia Records

The debut album from the young New York-based duo of Brian Oblivion (why can't my last name be something like 'Oblivion'?) and Madeline Follin, Cults, is an impressively polished and confident release considering the band's inexperience. Wikipedia classifies Cults as an "indie-pop" band, and while that might be true, it's not incredibly helpful - I think of the duo as belonging to something of a 60s girl-pop revivalist trend, following recent acts like Best Coast, Dum Dum Girls, and The Pipettes. Cults definitely has a retro, summery feel to it, but beneath much of the innocent sounding pop music there are somewhat darker lyrics and conceits than it's bubbly surface would indicate.

Cults starts out strong, leading with the album's most accessible track, "Abducted" - which also happens to be my personal favorite, with it's catchy vocals and insistent percussion. Beneath the catchy pop of "Abducted" Follin unravels an interesting metaphor of love as an abduction, belting out, "He tore me apart cause I really loved him," a perfect example of how Cults gets you tapping your feet to some rather cynical stories. Lead single "Go Outside" comes next, providing a shimmery summertime track that feels both familiar and fresh. The album begins to feel a little repetitive and one-note upon delving deeper into it, but thankfully Cults accounts for this by keeping the run-time of each song right around the 3 minute mark and throwing in songs like "Bad Things" with it's slow-tempo keyboard and "Bumper" - which sounds remarkably like a She & Him track, but ya know, better - late in the album that provide a different sound and refocus the listener's attention.

Cults doesn't really do anything too remarkable on their debut - it's a bit poppier than Best Coast, and less old-school than The Pipettes, but there's nothing on Cults that feels urgent or strikingly original. The draw of Cults comes not from the prospect of hearing something new, but from hearing something done well - the album works quite capably based on the strength of the songs and the dynamic between the duo. The fact that it was released just in time for the summer is definitely no coincidence; this is a light and breezy sounding record through and through, albeit one with a depressing undercurrent - think of Cults as a summer record for the cynic or hipster that doesn't like summer records (though it works as pure pop if you just tune out for the lyrics). It's a bit hard to see this as anything but a one-trick pony, but when the trick is this enjoyable, that's easily forgiven.

Grade: B

If you only have time/money/patience for one track: "Abducted"

TV Review - Doctor Who (S3.1)

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:03:00 +0000

Doctor Who
"Smith and Jones"
Writer - Russell T Davies

The first proper episode of series three, "Smith and Jones" should feel mighty familiar to those who have seen the opener of series one, "Rose," as we are introduced to the Doctor's new companion, Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman). While the episode was far from the best that the show can produce, it provided a largely entertaining introduction that provides some hopeful signs of more good things to come.

"Smith and Jones" starts off from the perspective of Martha, giving the audience a bit of chance to get to know the character - Freema Agyeman exhibits an intelligent enthusiasm and curiosity in the role, playing well off David Tennant's playful Doctor. Martha Jones initially seems like she may be a bit more capable than former companion Rose was, though obviously it is impossible to replace the spirit and vitality that Billie Piper brought to the role, at least not over the course of one episode. Anyway, Martha becomes entangled in the world of the Doctor after the hospital she is training to be a doctor at (irony!) is suddenly transported to the Moon. It turns out to be the work of the Judoon, a group of alien bounty hunters of a sort, who are searching for a rogue Plasmavore (which is pretty much what it sounds like) that is hiding in the hospital. The Doctor seems a bit less distraught over the loss of Rose here - appropriate, given that "The Runaway Bride" took place immediately after the farewell scene - though he seems to be actively auditioning Martha for the role of companion from early on in the episode. In some ways I wish "Smith and Jones" had given us a bit more of Smith (the alias that the Doctor uses), but hopefully subsequent episodes will allow for a bit more insight into his state of mind. Plastered rather obviously towards the end of the episode are further references to a Mr. Saxon, which appears the be the "arc word" for series three, following in the footsteps of Bad Wolf and Torchwood. I'll withhold judgment on that, given that I have no idea who Mr. Saxon is, except to say that it seemed like the didn't even bother trying for subtlety - maybe the writers figured that fans would scrutinize everything so closely that there was no point.

"Smith and Jones" moves quickly and has plenty of tension built into the story, while still allowing for characterization and thematic significance. This season particularly seems to be addressing a juicy topic, which is what it means to be human. To the thuggish and simple-minded Judoon, a quick scan and analysis of genetic material is enough to determine one's humanity, but things are clearly more complicated than that. The Plasmavore appears human, but is not - and most interestingly, same goes for the Doctor. Writer Russell T Davies already introduced some questions about the Doctor's capacity for "human" feeling and sentiment in "The Runaway Bride," and these ideas recur with a bit more depth and finesse in "Smith and Jones." That's not to say the episode is all weighty issues of great import - there's plenty of room for humor amidst the crisis (which is also perhaps a rather human phenomenon), and both Tennant and Agyeman bring with them a sense of fun and adventure to their roles.

We'll have to see if the chemistry between the Doctor and his new companion continues to work as well as it does in "Smith and Jones," but the episode gives me a great deal of faith for the direction of the series. Combining humor and sci-fi adventure with a dash of pathos and wit, it's hard to find much to complain about here.

Grade: B+

"Sorry, you'll have to excuse me I'm a little bit out of my depth - I spent the past fifteen years working as a postman, hence the bunions"

TV Review - Torchwood (S1.1)

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 03:26:00 +0000

Torchwood
"Everything Changes"
Writer - Russell T Davies

Welcome to the start of my coverage of Torchwood, the spin-off of Doctor Who! I'm excited to see what Torchwood has to offer, as I'm pretty much going into this without any knowledge of where the show will go or really what it's like. My first impression, based on series opener "Everything Changes," is that the show seems to be playing the Angel to Doctor Who's Buffy right now - it takes a slightly darker, less overtly comical tone than its progenitor and it has the potential to tell some different types of stories in the same universe. Another realm of similarity to Angel is that both shows start with episodes that are well-constructed and promising, while simultaneously seeming a bit timid and inconsequential.

It's abundantly clear that "Everything Changes" is a pilot episode - it's nearly all set up for the series to come, and as someone looking to get a sense of the show that's both good and bad. The episode does well to establish the premise of the series and gives at least a general sense of the main characters (though because it is told from the outsider perspective of Constable Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles), the writers don't show a whole lot about the people in Torchwood), but it doesn't introduce any really compelling hooks that make me want to immediately get invested in the series. Eve Myles seems like a good fit so far, though I find myself really struggling to judge her performance or much of the other aspects of the show based on what is offered in "Everything Changes." The return of John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness was welcome, as I thought his energy and characterization was one of the highlights of series one of Doctor Who, so hopefully the show will find ways to make good use of him here. As I mentioned before, it seems as if Russel T Davies toned down the humor a bit for Torchwood, though there are definitely still some good comic pieces in the episode - specifically the whole pizza delivery scene, which was executed brilliantly.

The plot of the episode revolves around Myles' Gwen Cooper investigating the mysterious Torchwood group, and predictably joining up with Torchwood by the end of the episode. The main story was serviceable and probably necessary for introductory purposes, and I didn't mind that so much, but I was rather unimpressed by the little sci-fi touches that Davies and company came up with for this one. A glove that brings things back to life? Date rape perfume? A book scanner or something? Torchwood seems like it should be an opportunity to tell some really great stories, and I was a little disappointed that the writers didn't throw anything out there that really captured my attention. Contrast "Everything Changes" with the opener of the Doctor Who revival, "Rose," where the Doctor and Rose combated "living plastic" manikins and garbage cans - that's not something you see every day. I feel like I'm spending too much time comparing Torchwood to other shows, but the fact that it didn't really leave a unique impression or distinguish itself from the Angels or SyFy shows like Sanctuary or Warehouse 13 that are similar in concept makes it a bit hard to focus on anything else.

Perhaps an even better comparison than Angel for "Everything Changes" would be Men in Black - the whole episode felt a lot like the opening of that movie, introducing the audience to this world of aliens and strange technology, but it was missing one of the key components of MiB, which is the conflict. There was no threat to the safety of the planet in "Everything Changes," no evil Vincent D'Onofrio bug to be stopped, no real sense of urgency. That's not to say that the episode wasn't enjoyable, because it was for the most part. It just feels like a whole lot of set up without much payoff (which might have been somewhat influenced by the fact that the second episode was aired immediately afterwards for the original broadcast). My interest is piqued, but after one episode I'm not completely sold on Torchwood. Hopefully the next episode will hook me a bit more - look for the review soon!

Grade: B-

"And before we go any further, who the hell orders pizza under the name of Torchwood?"

TV Review - Doctor Who (S3.0)

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:55:00 +0000

Doctor Who
"The Runaway Bride"
Writer - Russell T Davies

I've decided to start reviewing the third series of the revived Doctor Who for a couple reasons. First, it's a really good show that's well worth discussing, and second, I've decided that if I have to write about each episode it might slow down the pace I'm watching them - because I have a confession to make: I've become a Doctor Who addict. I sped through the first two series with a rather alarming alacrity (alliteration!), and it might be a good idea to have a little more time to think on and savor the show - also, it'll do wonders for my sleep schedule. With that said, I'm really excited to start writing about the series - and I've also decided to cover spin-off series Torchwood alongside Doctor Who, so we'll see if my appreciation and addiction spreads to that as well.

Doctor Who is about the only show I've ever encountered that thrives on change. Most shows, even the most innovative and profound, are predicated on some form of stability - the core cast and basic premise of the series remains largely the same throughout the show's run. While there are a few exceptions (The Wire bucks the trend to some degree), Doctor Who is the only show that seems to relish and even rely upon frequently shaking up the formula. In fact, the show's commitment to never remaining content is probably one of the main reasons for its longevity, and it is certainly relevant to the first episode that I'm covering here, "The Runaway Bride". *spoilers below for the previous two seasons, though I've tried to be as vague as possible*

"The Runaway Bride" picks up right where the previous season/"series" left off, with the sudden and mysterious appearance of the titular bride (Catherine Tate) on the TARDIS. This episode is somewhat unusual - it's a sixty minute Christmas special that is technically not a part of the third series, but it definitely acts as a bridge between the two seasons in terms of plot and characterization (therefore I've decided to term it Series 3, Episode 0). This is both a blessing and a curse; it does a worthy job of transitioning and setting up the season to come, but consequently the main plot of the episode feels a tad undercooked. Especially since I watched the episode without having to wait six months between it and the devastating and powerful "Doomsday," the tension of figuring out why the bride, named Donna Noble, was transported from her wedding to the TARDIS just didn't feel all that important. Catherine Tate does a great deal to alleviate this problem, playing Donna as a loud and rather boorish dolt of a woman, who nevertheless has a surprising capacity for insight when it comes to the Doctor. David Tennant is, as he has consistently been, remarkable, displaying a wide range of emotions with brilliant gusto - his performance when Donna interrogates the Doctor about Rose is both wonderfully sad and flat out fantastic. The plot, which focuses on the Empress of the Racnoss attempting to awake her people from the Earth's core (yes, the synopses of all Doctor Who stories are nerdier than a Trekkie's wet dream) has enough momentum and turns to be exciting, but falters a bit by utilizing a rather frequent bad habit of Doctor Who - using a deus ex machina to resolve things.

I had a fairly mixed reaction to series two's Christmas special, "The Christmas Invasion," as well, so it's not surprising that "The Runaway Bride" seemed far from writer Russell T Davies' A-game. As I mentioned previously, though, I was very hopeful for what the episode seemed to be setting up as the themes of the season - namely the Doctor's struggles with the loss of Rose and his level of connectedness to humanity. And I am also aware that a good portion of my resistance to this episode may have to do with what I discussed at the beginning: Doctor Who is a show built on change, and change takes a bit of getting used to. I remember being really upset at the thought of some other bloke playing the Doctor when Christopher Eccleston left the role - now, I'm so attached to David Tennant's portrayal that I can't imagine it in the hands of anyone else. So, I remain very optimistic for series three, even if "The Runaway Bride" wasn't the runaway success I was hoping for (eh, see what I did there, eh?).

Grade: B

"That's not even a proper word! You're just saying things!"

Film Review - Super 8

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:33:00 +0000

Super 8
Director: J.J. Abrams; Writer: J.J. Abrams
Paramount Pictures

This review will likely be on the short side, since it's been quite a while since I actually saw Super 8, but I feel like I owe the movie at least a little bit of my time since it was one of my favorite films of the summer. Every review of Super 8 is required to mention the debt it owes to Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the oeuvre of Steven Spielberg, and with good reason - the movie looks and feels like a throwback to that era in a number of interesting ways. That being said, Super 8 is also unmistakably a J.J. Abrams flick, and the melding of the two styles works quite nicely, delivering a not-quite-transcendent but very compelling experience.

Set in small-town Ohio, Super 8 follows a group of youngsters putting together an amateur movie with Super 8 mm film (see what they did there!) who happen to witness a seemingly supernatural disaster. Super 8 often feels like a beautiful and earnest meditation on the community experience and the horrors and delights of childhood, wrapped up in the disguise of a sci-fi monster thriller. I was surprised to find myself so invested in the characters (a frequent pitfall of the sci-fi/horror genre), and I enjoyed the more quiet moments in the film where Abrams allows the audience to connect with the protagonists while slowly adding tension and suspense to the film's atmosphere. The actors, especially the young actors Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning, deserve a lot of credit for making the early stages of the movie so engaging - Fanning especially deserves praise for managing to portray a young girl with a difficult life while not seeming whiny or overacting. Abrams does just as interesting directorial work in establishing his small-town setting as he does in the more action-oriented sequences; the opening sequence is particularly moving and effective. Writing has never been Abrams' primary strength, but while Super 8 is not going to win any awards for its script, the dialogue for the most part feels natural and not too heavy-handed, even when dealing with some fairly overt themes.

Audiences looking for a straightforward monster movie or intricate sci-fi thriller may be somewhat disappointed by what they find in Super 8, and indeed my main issue with the movie was that the ultimate reveal and explanation of the mysterious happenstances was not all that original or exciting. Thankfully, Abrams is able to compensate for this weakness by drawing on the emotional core established in the characters - and by having shit blow up. Shit blowing up is usually pretty fun to watch. Still, I can't help but wish the movie was able to reconcile its different aspects a bit better than it does. Beneath all the thrills and explosions is a compelling story of growing up which manages to feel both whimsical and realistic, and harkens back to a style of filmmaking in an earnest and touching manner that does justice to the aforementioned Spielberg works.

Grade: A-

Random Topics: So I Went to the Movies...

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 03:03:00 +0000

I went to go see Super 8 earlier this week (look for a review of that soon), and I thought I'd write a little bit about my favorite part of going to the movies: the previews. Alright, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement, but I really do love watching trailers at the theater.

Above is a trailer for Real Steel, which is apparently about boxing, but with robots. The sheer fucking stupidity evident in this trailer absolutely astounds me. I mean, am I crazy, or does this not seem like the dumbest fucking movie ever? I like Hugh Jackman as an actor, and director Shawn Levy also helmed Big Fat Liar (with Frankie Muniz, Amanda Bynes, and Paul Giamatti - and is exactly as awesome as that sounds), but how in the hell did anybody think this was a good idea. From the trailer, it's got some real promising signs of awfulness: cliche feel-good underdog drama, extremely annoying and terrible child actor (named fucking Dakota Goyo, for fuck's sake), a plot based around robots punching each other. Ugh.

On the other hand, the above trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 got me so unbelievably excited for the final film. Until, that is, the very end of the trailer, where it invites me to "complete the journey in 3D" - the trailer that I saw at the theater then proceeded to assure me that the journey could also be completed in 2D in "select theaters." Fuck that. I don't for the life of me understand how people could think that the prospect of seeing a blurrier, gimmicky version of a film would be an exciting idea - one worthy of touting. I read that as a giant 'fuck you' at the end of a trailer that, as I said before, made me really want to see the movie. I'll acknowledge that I'm ranting and nitpicking here, but it's my blog, so I'll feel free to make an ass of myself as much as I want, thank you very much.

Track of the Day - 6/29/11

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 21:06:00 +0000

Santigold feat. Karen O. - "Go"

Here's a relatively new track from Santigold, a.k.a. that one person with that song in that Bud Light Lime commercial who sounds a lot like M.I.A. but is actually a totally separate individual. In all seriousness though, I enjoyed Santigold's 2008 self-titled debut a great deal, and if you haven't heard it you should absolutely check it out. It's all the fantastic production and exotic vocals of M.I.A. without the crazy politics! "Go" doesn't seem like a huge departure for Santigold, and while I'm still a little ambivalent about the guest spot from Karen O. (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), the song has a captivating and somewhat menacing sound that's hard to not enjoy. Santigold is supposed to be releasing a new album pretty soon, so look out for that as well.

Previous day's connection: Both The Very Best and Major Lazer are composed of pairs of DJ/Producers; Radioclit and Diplo/Switch, respectively. And while technically Radioclit is now broken up and thus was not acting as a duo for the creation of Super Mom Mixtape, I don't really care, because I can do whatever I want. So put that in your pipe and smoke it.

But don't actually smoke, that shit kills.

Film Review - The Hangover Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 21:04:00 +0000

The Hangover Part II
Director: Todd Phillips; Writers: Todd Phillips, Craig Mazin, Scot Armstrong
Warner Bros. Pictures

Man, it's been a while since I actually saw this movie in theaters, and my memory of it isn't all that great. If I had any journalistic ethics or anything like that, I probably wouldn't try to review the movie now. I think, however, that the reason I can't remember a lot of the gags from The Hangover Part II has less to do with the amount of time that's passed since my viewing it and more to do with the overall mediocrity of Todd Phillips' sequel, so fuck it - here we go.

The movie's predecessor, The Hangover, was a fairly amusing, if over-hyped, comedy that benefited greatly from the timing of its release: the sequel takes the same formula as the first film, and simply ups the gross out factor. Instead of looking for new characters or scenarios to provide laughs, Phillips and company rehash the plot of the original, with only a few slight tweaks: the action is now in Bangkok, and the "Wolf Pack" is now searching for Stu's (Ed Helms) fiancee's brother (Mason Lee). The Bangkok setting mainly functions as a means to make the city seem like the shittiest place on Earth, full of seedy streets and even seedier people. Mason Lee is equally useless in his role, acting as even more of a non-entity than the gang's friend Doug was in The Hangover (Doug is back for the second film, still not really doing anything). A "cameo" appearance by Paul Giamatti is head-scratchingly out of place and feels half baked in conception and execution.

As for the film's returning elements, the primary trio of Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, and Zach Galifianakis provide most of the movie's laughs. Galifianakis in particular brings a special kind of gleeful and unbalanced energy to his role, and almost all of the most humorous bits revolve around his character. The film also benefits from the repeated structure of the original (even if it does feel repetitive), as the action moves at a frenetic pace that ensures the jokes that don't land aren't given time to linger. Other recurring bits are much more to the detriment of the movie - Ken Jeong reappears as the incredibly over-the-top gangster Chow, and while I like him in other roles (namely, Community), here he's simply terrible. Equally awful is the return of Mike Tyson, who (spoilers, I guess) comes back for a complete dud of a closing scene that caps off a movie-going experience filled with more misses than hits.

It's fine to reuse a formula that's worked moderately well before, as long as there's enough fresh material to make it a unique film. When all of the new bits fall flat, however, the formula starts to feel old really fast. The Hangover Part II isn't terrible - there were enough laughs to make it not a complete fiasco - but it certainly shows what happens when a franchise is unable to take steps forward.

Grade: C-

Track of the Day - 6/26/11

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:23:00 +0000

Major Lazer - "When You Hear the Bassline"

Today's track is off the 2009 debut album of Major Lazer, the bass-thumping, party-starting collaboration between producers Diplo and Switch. "When You Hear the Bassline" features flowing reggae vocals to accompany the pulsing production, which is appropriate given their album was recorded in Jamaica. It also transitions really well into "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas and the Papas, if that happens to be after Major Lazer in your iTunes library. Just so you know.

Previous day's connection: A fairly easy one: both "Baba Yetu" and "Super Mom" are sung in African languages. "Baba Yetu" is, as I mentioned, sung in Swahili, while The Very Best vocals are in Chichewa, the national language of lead singer Esau Mwamwaya's native Malawi. So, they are different languages, but it all sounds like "African" to this enlightened critic.

Arbitrary Exercises - Best Movies of All Time. Ever. Period.

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 01:13:00 +0000

I'm starting a new feature on this little old blog o' mine, called Arbitrary Exercises! It's a pretty simple concept: From time to time, I'll come up with some form of list on a random topic, and share it with you lovely readers. You'll realize how completely arbitrary and pointless the lists are and hopefully point this out to me, and then I'll retreat, discouraged and defeated, back to my sad and meaningless existence. And probably call you a rude name. Sound like fun? Alright, well here we go!

Today's Arbitrary Exercise is trying to decide what the twenty best movies of all time are. My boyfriend asked me the other day if I had some sort of list of my favorite movies, because I am definitely the type of person that would have such a list typed out on my computer, in case you couldn't tell by me having this incredibly cool blog - but, surprisingly I did not have such a list! So, technically, this is really just a list of my favorite movies and not a definitive statement of the greatest films in history - considering I haven't seen every film ever made and also am not in possession of the kind of godlike authority necessary for that. I have, however, tried to make sure that these films all had some high level of quality to them and were not just movies that I like. Final disclaimer: this list contains no Godfather in any form - I've seen the first one, thought it was a little meh. And I'm not the only one.

20. Collateral (2004)

Collateral is definitely not one of the twenty best movies of all time. It has its share of flaws, and most serious film buffs would probably laugh at me and stop reading this list right now. But the stylish and tense Michael Mann thriller has always been one of my favorites, thanks in large part to the stellar performances and chemistry between Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. The cinematography and directorial work from Mann is also captivating, and while the film is a bit uneven, it's also extremely watchable.

19. Duck Soup (1933)

I don't really watch a whole lot of black and white movies, so this list is definitely skewed towards more recent fare. I do, however, have a soft spot for the Marx Brothers, especially Duck Soup. It's a brilliant example of comedy, utilizing both slapstick and wordplay to such perfection. Duck Soup's display of wit and humor is simply unmatched.

18. Casablanca (1942)

Fuck that Gone with the Wind shit, this is the true classic romance to come out of that era. It has tension, amazing writing, and some truly great performances. Humphrey Bogart, bitches.

17. Men in Black (1997)

Ok, I'll admit that Men in Black is in no way one of the greatest films of all time. But it's probably the most enjoyable and compellingly watchable blockbuster to come out of Hollywood in the past twenty years, and I gladly watch it whenever I stumble across it on TV (which is quite often). The humorous script is bolstered by absolutely spot-on performances from Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Vincent D'Onofrio; it's a special effects laden movie that knows not to take itself too seriously.

16. Blade Runner (1982)

Sometimes, I wonder if Blade Runner falls victim to some degree of emphasizing style over substance. And then I decide that it doesn't fucking matter at all when you've got such brilliant style. Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece manages to look just as breathtaking today as it did upon it's theatrical release - and considering it was made well before the era of CGI, that's saying something. And while it's easy to get caught up on the beauty of the film, there actually is a whole lot of substance beneath the amazing style, as the film touches on rich themes in a manner that is both subtle and fascinating.

15. Memento (2000)

This is the only movie on this list that I've only seen once, so it should attest to the sheer power of that viewing experience that Memento delivered. Christopher Nolan's breakout film is absolutely relentless - it grabs a hold of you and yanks you back and forth with such skillful force before leaving you utterly speechless by the end. It's a work of genius, and likely the only reason it isn't higher on my list is that I haven't held it up to repeat viewings.

14. Dark Knight/Batman Begins (2008/2005)

Oh hey, it's more Christopher Nolan! I'm cheating a little bit for this one, since I'm including both The Dark Knight and Batman Begins as one spot on my list, but I honestly can't decide which I like more. I know that Dark Knight is technically better - the directorial quality and cinematography is fucking ridiculous, the sound work is flat out nuts, and the story is far darker and more widely praised than that of Batman Begins. But I have a soft spot for Batman Begins, as it was the first Batman movie (Mask of the Phantasm excluded) that really captured what I loved about the character, and despite possessing more flaws than Dark Knight, it also has some truly awesome moments.

13. Groundhog Day (1993)

Usually, the words "romantic comedy" make me want to run for the hills, and while Groundhog Day may technically be a part of that dreaded genre, the Harold Ramis film is so much more than those words can possibly convey. It's a black comedy with a touching core, and Bill Murray embodies the role of jaded weatherman Phil Connors to perfection.

12. Galaxy Quest (1999)

The sheer genius of Galaxy Quest never ceases to amaze me. While it's a Star Trek parody on the surface, it skewers and satirizes fan culture as a whole, all while delivering a constant stream of laughs. The cast is simply stacked, with hilarious early-career turns from Sam Rockwell and Tony Shalhoub, and the film features Tim Allen's best comedic performance (aside from Toy Story, arguably). Also: motherfucking Alan Rickman.

11. The Lion King (1994)

It's The Lion King; what the fuck am I supposed to say? My favorite of the 80s/90s Disney animation Renaissance, the film is a (very, very loose) adaptation of Hamlet, but ya know, with animals. In Africa. In any case, the film is completely captivating from the very opening, balancing an epic scope with a healthy sense of humor and a fairly dark and intense character-driven dramatic side, one that's pretty rare for a children's flick.

10. Fargo (1996)

I had a tough time deciding whether this spot should go to Fargo or No Country for Old Men, but I knew it was going to one of the Coen brothers' dark crime masterpieces. Fargo is the blackest of black comedies, with fantastic characters - and actors who portray them. From the small-town naivete of William H. Macy to the sleazy small-time crook of Steve Buscemi, the movie is just so absolutely pitch-perfect and is a true delight to watch.

9. Children of Men (2006)

Whenever someone says that they have a hard time getting into science fiction because it feels to cold, abstract, nerdy, or inaccessible, I have a strong urge to make them sit down and watch Alfonso Cuaron's brilliant Children of Men. It takes a simple dystopian setting to stunning heights through a tight script, powerful performances, and some of the most truly magnificent directorial work that I've ever seen. It's a movie so densely packed with ideas and action that it takes my breath away every time I see it.

8. Best in Show (2000)

Christopher Guest films are all exercises in subtle and almost painfully-realistic comedy, and the funniest and sharpest has to be Best in Show. Taking his trademark "mockumentary" style to the setting of competitive dog shows, Guest assembles a group of stellar comedians and provides their oddball characters room to thrive by allowing for improvisation. This means that not all of the movie is filled with the kind of gut-busting laughs that we traditionally associate with comedies; instead, the humor is dialed down to a level that seems so much like real life - and that makes it all the more hilarious.

7. Star Wars/Empire Strikes Back (1977/1980)

A long time ago, in my childhood basement, there was...STAR WARS! (cue John Williams and his bombastic score). Ahem. Star Wars utilizes almost all of the archetypes and genre tropes in the book, adds some amazing special effects and artistic design, and throws in an epic adventure plot that takes viewers to all corners of George Lucas' galaxy far, far away. The result is something truly special - as the devotion to the franchise clearly shows. As for Return of the Jedi, it's still a good film, but it just isn't on par with the first two, especially Empire - the most visually and thematically inspired of the trilogy.

6. Airplane! (1980)

Possibly the most watchable comedy ever made, filled with line after line of hilarious puns and repeating gags, Airplane! is the best parody movie ever made. One only has to look at the films that followed in its footsteps to realize how great and unique a comedy it is. It's just fucking wall-to-wall hilarious.

5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Speaking of hilarious... Monty Python and the Holy Grail captures the zany, offbeat, frequently silly and nearly always funny humor of the Monty Python bunch, and distills it into a couple brilliant hours of comedy. Less satirical and pointed than their others films (though the above clip shows it's always there under the surface), Holy Grail makes up for it by being flat out funny, showcasing the talents of each member of the troupe. Holy Grail is relentlessly weird and unpredictable, and there's nothing else like it (except maybe Life of Brian, which almost made the list).

4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Writer and director Frank Darabont's masterpiece prison tale, The Shawshank Redemption, is expertly filmed and acted, making the harsh reality of life in Shawshank State Prison nearly tangible to the audience. While the film's message could be corny in other hands, here it feels genuine and powerful, capturing the lowest depths of despair and the crowning heights of hope through the award-worthy performances of Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman - Bob Gunton is also fantastic as the diabolical warden.

3. Fight Club (1999)

I'm not sure if I could ever really describe what I felt watching the credits roll the first time I saw Fight Club. The film is absolutely perfectly constructed, instilling both stunned captivation and serious consideration, taking viewers on an unusual and brilliant journey into the ideological malaise of the 90s. Director David Fincher captures the spirit of Chuck Palahniuk's novel to a tee, opting for a remarkably faithful interpretation of the source material that probably ensured the film would be inaccessible to much of the Hollywood audience, but was definitely the right move. The amazing performances of Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, meanwhile, provide the movie with a spark that allows the subversive aesthetic of the novel to reach new heights on the screen. And it also has one of my favorite ending scenes ever, making great use of the Pixies' "Where is My Mind?". And it has Meat Loaf.

2. The Princess Bride (1987)

A genius amalgamation of fairy tale, adventure, fantasy, romance, and comedy oeuvres, The Princess Bride is so much more than the sum of its parts. Based on the novel by William Goldman, the film was also written by Goldman and directed by Rob Reiner, who make a unique and universally appealing movie with humor and adventure that anyone can enjoy. It's sentimental without being cheesy, funny without being silly, and original while still feeling familiar. The cast is, appropriately, a rather odd assortment, including Cary Elwes, Billy Crystal, and Andre the Giant - but they all fit their roles perfectly. The Princess Bride is such an endearing and flawless film that I should think it impossible to not enjoy.

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Quentin Tarantino's strange, twisted comic and darkly dramatic Pulp Fiction takes my number one spot. The writing is the best example of Tarantino's quirky brilliance, with so many memorable scenes - the robbers that bookend the film, Christopher Walken's monologue, the back and forth between John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson - it's just filled with goodness. And while I'm a big fan of Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction is the film that really cements Tarantino as a master filmmaker for me. It's just too bad I can't stand his fucking acting in it.

So that's it! This list probably changes every week or so for me, so it's by no means final. This is, after all, an arbitrary exercise. (cue epic John Williams score)

Book Review - Mistborn

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:23:00 +0000

Mistborn: The Final Empire
Brandon Sanderson
Tor Books

Brandon Sanderson has had a pretty awesome past few years. His debut novel, Elantris, was well-received by critics and readers, and also caught the eye of Harriet Rigney, the widow of the prominent and bestselling Wheel of Time author, Robert Jordan. Based on his work, Sanderson was selected by Rigney and the editors at Tor to complete the Wheel of Time series, and has successfully published numerous original works as well. Not too shabby, if you ask me. Mistborn: The Final Empire, published in 2006, is the first volume in Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy.

Now that I've dumped all that information out there, let's get to the juicy stuff: Mistborn (I'm leaving out "The Final Empire" in the interest of space, laziness, and sounding less like a total nerd) highlights Sanderson's strengths as a writer, as well as a few of his weaknesses. Starting with the positive, though, the worldbuilding and way that magic works in the novel are both utterly compelling and fascinating. "Magic" in Mistborn comes in the form of Allomancy, where certain people have the ability to manipulate the world around them by ingesting specific kinds of metals (For example, someone can ingest tin and use it to enhance their hearing and other senses). It's a system that's fairly easy to comprehend, but also offers up a multitude of interesting and unexpected possibilities. The world of Mistborn is equally simple on the surface, but is inhabited by such captivating characters that it feels rich and lived-in.

Sanderson's writing is nothing exceptional; his style is efficient (lacking the penchant for over-description that fantasy authors like Robert Jordan are notorious for) but doesn't really stand out from the crowd. Mistborn compensates for this by having an engaging plot, building tension gradually and subtly drawing the reader in. Unfortunately, the novel suffers from one of Sanderson's frequently annoying pacing techniques, where an immense amount of the action takes place in a final short spurt. It doesn't spoil the experience here, as the lead-up to the climax is highly enjoyable, but I do wish that the ending had been given a bit more space to unfold.

Mistborn is a solid fantasy novel, and definitely functions to pique interest in the rest of the trilogy. While the ideas within the book aren't quite as complex and interesting as I get the impression they were supposed to be, the adventure elements are executed quite well, and at least it manages to successfully distance itself from the standard fantasy hero archetype in some ways (particularly in the fascinating character of Kelsier). There's nothing extremely remarkable about Mistborn, but it met all of my expectations as a fantasy fan and left me wanting more - again, not too shabby. (Speaking of wanting more, I just finished the second book in the trilogy, so look for a review soon. Spoilers - I thought it was pretty awesome.)

Grade: B

Track of the Day - 6/12/11

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:43:00 +0000

The Very Best - "Super Mom"

Today's track is from the recently released Super Mom Mixtape, which The Very Best released for free this past Mother's Day. I have no idea what the hell singer Esau Mwamwaya is saying, but it sounds pretty damn happy. And catchy! If you haven't listened to their 2009 album Warm Heart of Africa, you also need to get on that shit - it's the most ballerest African music since The Lion King. And if there's one thing I'm an expert on, it's African music. Oh, and I have no idea what's up with this video, so sorry about that.

Previous Day's Connection: Both "Baba Yetu" and Arcade Fire were Grammy winners in 2011. "Baba Yetu" became the first composition designed for a video game to be recognized with a Grammy, and Arcade Fire became the first band named Arcade Fire to win the coveted, extremely prestigious Album of the Year award. They join the esteemed company of other Grammy winners Lady Antebellum, Celine Dion, and Christopher Cross.

TV Review - Sherlock (S1)

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 03:14:00 +0000

Sherlock
Series One (aka Season One for us Yanks)
BBC (or PBS for us Colonials)

This will hopefully be another fairly short review, since I opted to review the three episodes that comprise the first season of BBC's Sherlock as a group, instead of separately. I'm also by no means an expert on Sherlock Holmes: I've never read any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works, I've never seen any of the Basil Rathbone movies - my only real exposure to the character has been through the 2009 Guy Ritchie film (which I thought was solidly entertaining) and an episode of Wishbone based on The Hound of the Baskervilles (also pretty entertaining, from what I remember). My lack of preconceptions or expectations actually probably makes me the ideal audience for Sherlock, which brings the characters into a modern-day London setting.

Perhaps Holmes purists would consider the updated setting an outrage, but I found it to be a fairly astute move on the part of creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat (of Doctor Who fame), as it made the idea of plunging into the classic stories and characters a bit less intimidating. And while it is true that Sherlock's version of Holmes includes texting and nicotine patches, the elements that made Doyle's work so iconic remain the focus - namely, the brilliant dynamic between Holmes and his much-beleaguered assistant, Watson.

British actors Benedict Cumberbatch (no, I'm not making that name up) and Martin Freeman are both fantastic as Holmes and Watson, respectively. The chemistry between the two feels so natural, and their performances provide a sturdy foundation for the show - Freeman's work in the first episode is particularly inspired, and anchors the show through the realness he brings to the role, acting as both a wonderful audience surrogate but also an interesting character in his own right. Cumberbatch (*snicker*) does Holmes to perfection, playing the character as a "high-functioning psychopath" who's just engrossing to watch, and delivering both rapid-fire and one-liner dialogue with an Alan Rickman-esque dramatic flair.

Sherlock also benefits from some clever and efficient scripts, which string the viewer along beautifully with the mystery elements while also allowing for a great deal of subtle character moments. Despite the short length of the first season, Sherlock's Holmes and Watson are more fully fleshed out and developed than many characters that have dozens of hours to work with. Each episode moves quickly and has little time to waste, which makes for some of the genuine pulse-pounding excitement that the best hours of 24 run on. The second episode falters a bit with this, and was clearly the weakest of the three for me, but it was by no means difficult to make it through.

Sherlock ended up providing just what I was looking for in Sherlock Holmes: great characters with chemistry and exciting mysteries. The first season may be short by American standards, but it's executed near flawlessly and left me craving more. Aside from a less than stellar second episode, this is pretty much all I could have hoped for in my introduction to Doyle's characters, and it makes me eager to crack open that Sherlock Holmes collection that's been sitting on my shelf for a while.

I'll leave you with this:............Benedict Cumberbatch. *snicker* Pip pip, cheerio!

Grade: A

Track of the Day - 6/1/11

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:36:00 +0000

"Baba Yetu" - Christopher Tin (composer)

Back by popular demand, it's a brand spanking new Track of the Day! I'm reviving this feature because so many people were always asking me, "What ever happened to the Track of the Day?" or "When are you going to do more tracks? I'm dying to know the connection between the last two!" Any rumors that it has to do with my being bored, and that nobody really reads this blog, and my writing here is part of a largely sad and meaningless existence, are absolutely false.

Anyway, for those not familiar with this, each day's track has some loose connection to the previous day's, one that probably only makes sense in my strange little head. Today's track is from Christopher Tin, who composed "Baba Yetu" for the insanely addictive video-game, Civilization IV. The piece is beautifully orchestrated, and the vocal component is genius in it's simplicity - the lyrics are The Lord's Prayer sung in Swahili. Check out the video to see it choreographed with some pretty sweet fountain action.

Previous day's (year's) connection: Jesus, you really expect me to remember that far back? God, y'all are so demanding! Whatever, I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the bands playing Lollapalooza. Or something. Just focus on this new connection, okay?

(The previous TotD was Arcade Fire's "Suburban War" from 8/15/10)

TV Review -- Spartacus: Blood and Sand (Season One)

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 02:29:00 +0000

Spartacus: Blood and Sand
Season One
Starz

This is probably going to be a very short review - though, knowing how I tend to get carried away on this blog, it may end up being longer than anticipated. Insert "that's what she said" joke here.

Anyway, a couple months ago I sped through the first season of Starz's bodily fluid-filled take on the tale of Spartacus, the Thracian gladiator who led a slave revolt in ancient Rome, probably most famous for his striking resemblance to Kirk Douglas. Starz has recently been making a noticeable push in the original programming department, and the network's business model seems to be essentially: Violence + Nudity = Profit. Much like peanut butter and chocolate and Simon and Garfunkel, violence and nudity is a pretty potent combination, and it's in full effect in Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The first episode is particularly rife with TV-MA goodness; it seems that not a minute goes by without someone receiving a gory neck wound or a nice roll in the hay. Despite a somewhat rocky start, however, Spartacus soon reveals itself to be a bit more than meets the eye.

That's not to say that the eye candy isn't important, because it most definitely is. With a design cribbed chiefly from 300 - that is to say, very bloody with highly stylized violence - Spartacus often provides quite the visual spectacle. Occasionally the stylization can't quite mask the low budget and heavy reliance on CGI, but it's easy to forget moments like those when confronted with the ridiculously awesome and myriad ways that people are killed on the show. And boy, people drop like flies.

Creator Stephen S. DeKnight (a Buffy alum, among other things) clearly knew exactly what kind of show he wanted Spartacus to be, and after some rough patches in the early episodes, the confidence with which the show proceeds starts to be reflected in the quality. Sure, this is not exactly serious dramatic fare - it has the absolute lunacy and tawdry elements of a soap opera, and the show's propensity for violence and sex is almost extreme - but Spartacus has no loftier aspirations. The people behind the show know precisely how ridiculous it is, and that makes it a joy to watch. Spartacus: Blood and Sand may be soapy or pulpy, and it's certainly bloody, but it's also completely addictive and is one of the most purely entertaining shows out there.

Grade: B+

Random Topics: What's a 'Ginia Bellafante?' - A Review of a Review

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 02:34:00 +0000

It seems like The New York Times gets a lot of shit these days. First, you've got the rather unpleasant neo-conservative, Fox News-watching crowd that take every opportunity to deride the paper as a "liberal rag" and scoff at the mere mention of the paper's name. Then you've got the people that love to discuss the imminent death of the newspaper industry - guess which money-hemorrhaging national paper is their go-to representation of the growing obsolescence of old media?

Normally, I'm a pretty staunch defender of the good ol' NY Times. I couldn't really tell you why, except possibly residual fondness from having it delivered throughout my childhood. The crossword puzzles are still consistently par excellence, so there's that. In any case, it was therefore somewhat of a surprise for me to find myself, along with many others, shaking my metaphorical fist at the paper this past week.

The source of my considerable nerd rage was a TV review, published by the Times, of the (then upcoming) new HBO series, Game of Thrones, which you can read here. Many, many people have already commented on how oblivious and unhelpful Ginia Bellafante's review was (including George R.R. Martin, the man behind the novels the HBO show is based on), but I figured I would join in the fun as well.

I would first encourage anyone who hasn't read the review yet to click the above link and take it in. We all on the same page? Awesome! Now, the first thing that should be apparent is that reading Ms. Bellafante's review tells you pretty much nothing substantive about the quality of the show. She takes great pains to inform the reader of the setting, where it was filmed, the linguistic process behind it, and her opinions on the genre of the show. Things like the likeability of the characters and the performances of the actors playing them, the effectiveness of the writing, and the quality of the production are, however, completely unaddressed. There is certainly no uniform standard that criticism, especially TV criticism, adheres to, but I think it's safe to say that the reviewer should at least make an attempt to, well, review the show. Ms. Bellafante, however, decided to use her "review" as an opportunity to write some broad generalizations about HBO, TV, and the fantasy genre - thankfully they make highly entertaining targets for mocking. Which I shall proceed to do, methodically and joyously.

Ms. Bellafante starts off by insulting the intelligence of her readers. OK, well that's not exactly true, but it's not that far off either. She writes, "Keeping track of the principals alone feels as though it requires the focused memory of someone who can play bridge at a Warren Buffett level of adeptness."

Never mind that she holds up The Wire as an example of a proper HBO show, which had a similarly sprawling cast that was difficult to distinguish in the early-goings. Ms. Bellafante is supposed to be giving her opinion on the show, which she sort of does here, albeit in a rather snooty manner. It becomes problematic, though, when she uses her difficulties in keeping track of the characters as the basis for a wider generalization that the feeble-minded women who watch Sex and the City reruns will be equally confused.

"Embedded in the narrative is a vague global-warming horror story." I'm honestly at a bit of a loss here, since I can't imagine how this idea was planted in her head. Game of Thrones (the novel) was started in 1991 - yes, the concept of global warming was around well before then, but I'm guessing that Mr. Martin didn't exactly have it on his mind at the time. Also supporting my view is the fact that her interpretation makes absolutely no sense.

Here's my favorite passage, though: "How did this come to pass? We are in the universe of dwarfs, armor, wenches, braids, loincloth. The strange temperatures clearly are not the fault of a reliance on inefficient HVAC systems. Given the bizarre climate of the landmass at the center of the bloody disputes — and the series rejects no opportunity to showcase a beheading or to offer a slashed throat close-up — you have to wonder what all the fuss is about. We are not talking about Palm Beach."

I've tried and tried, but I still have no idea what in the hell Ms. Bellafante is trying to say here. I think (if there is any point to it) that she seems to be suggesting that she had a hard time believing people would fight over a landmass that didn't have the climate/aesthetic appeal of something like Palm Beach. I suppose Ms. Bellafante is just used to battles erupting over the luxurious sandy beaches of Afghanistan, the scenic Libyan vineyards, and the wonderfully mild climate of southern Vietnam.

She then snaps out of her gloriously inaccurate global-warming metaphor, and produces a real gut-buster: "The bigger question, though, is: What is “Game of Thrones” doing on HBO?" I would think that the "bigger question" for the review might be something more along the lines of: How good is the first episode of Game of Thrones? Does the series seem to have potential? Would I recommend someone watch it, even if they haven't read the novels? How does it manage the transition from print to the screen? But what do I know; I'm not the one writing for The New York Times.

The passage that attracted the most attention (read: anger and bemusement) was this choice selection: "The true perversion, though, is the sense you get that all of this illicitness has been tossed in as a little something for the ladies, out of a justifiable fear, perhaps, that no woman alive would watch otherwise. While I do not doubt that there are women in the world who read books like Mr. Martin’s, I can honestly say that I have never met a single woman who has stood up in indignation at her book club and refused to read the latest from Lorrie Moore unless everyone agreed to “The Hobbit” first. “Game of Thrones” is boy fiction patronizingly turned out to reach the population’s other half."

I'm not really going to touch this, since the other reactions I linked to provide more than enough commentary on the idiocy of Ms. Bellafante's sentiments, and this is getting a bit wordy. Suffice it to say, the next time The New York Times assigns someone to review a genre show, they might want to make sure that the writer actually writes a review of the show, and not a petulant and pointless piece on their distaste for fantasy.

Random Topics: Delicious Strawberry-Flavored Death

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 05:35:00 +0000

For anyone who hasn't watched Fox's awesome sci-fi show, Fringe, this last half of season three might be your last chance to see it during its original run - Fox recently announced that they were moving the show to Friday nights, a time slot that has pretty much guaranteed a quick death for everything put there in the past. The ratings were already pretty grim in its normal Thursday slot, so in all likelihood this is it for Fringe. However, that doesn't mean that Fox wants the show to die; Entertainment President Kevin Reilly recently gave fans a (probably false) glimmer of hope to latch onto, saying, "If it does anywhere near what it did on Thursdays, we can glue that show to the schedule because it can be a big win for us." Recently, the Fox marketing team gave a little visual support to this sentiment, making what is probably one of the best promo spots that I've ever seen. You might have to be an actual fan of the show to appreciate the humor and all the callbacks in it (which sort of defeats the purpose of it), but it's a real treat for those who do watch Fringe. The ad, which can be viewed below, is supposedly only for online use, but Fox has said that something of a similar nature will be airing on TV soon. So, here's hoping Fringe can beat the odds and continue to make fantastic, freaky, and forcible TV!

Random Topics: 2010 Spike VGAs

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 08:56:00 +0000

Last week, the nominees for both the Golden Globes and the SAG awards were announced, but did you know that there was actually an awards show being televised last Saturday? If you did, you're probably a huge nerd, because the awards show that I'm referring to was the 2010 Spike TV Video Game Awards.

Of course, I myself am a huge nerd, so I took some time away from actually playing video games to watch the rebroadcast of the ceremony. For those of you with better things to do (which would be pretty much anything), the VGAs are usually just fucking awful. The show is so awkward and unfunny that it becomes painful to watch - and I actually like video games: If the prospect of seeing a trailer for the next Elder Scrolls game is meaningless gibberish to you, then you'll want to stay far, far away from the VGAs. Jeff Green, one of the most respected game industry veterans, has a great piece about the problems with the show on his blog.

But the actual award show is pretty pointless anyway, because the real reason that people (myself included) watch the show is to get a glimpse at the games that are coming out next year. And this year was especially exciting for me, because MASS EFFECT 3!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll probably be writing something soon about the Mass Effect series, but I think that honestly might be the most excited I've ever been by a trailer (especially one that essentially revealed very little about the product). In any case, you can view the trailer here, and I'm sure I'll be writing more about the game as we get closer to its release, because I fucking love Mass Effect.

Game Review - World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 08:16:00 +0000

So here we are with the first ever video game review on The Casualty Report! Except not really! This is more of a discussion; for reasons that will become apparent I don't feel confident actually giving out a grade or claiming to have a truly informed opinion about this game. In any case, hopefully this will still be interesting and somewhat helpful (though probably not). You've been disclaimed!

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher: Activision Blizzard

Attempting to write about an MMO is a pretty daunting and usually futile task. Part of the reason that the genre is so popular is that the experience is so open-ended, and condensing a game so gigantic in scale into a brief write-up does not really do justice to the intentions of those who made the game or those who will play it.

Fuck it, though, I'm gonna go right ahead and try. My experience with World of Warcraft as a whole is minimal, and it's downright infinitesimal when compared with what the avid player puts in. A few years ago I was lured into trying out Blizzard's popular, gargantuan beast of a game with an offer of a free ten-day trial, during which I became thoroughly addicted and quickly reached the trial level cap of 20. I (wisely) realized that if I subscribed at that point, not only would I be using up money that I didn't really want to spend, but I would also probably be using up a large chunk of my free time in playing WoW. So I decided, with great difficulty, to just back away slowly and hope the addictive monster would let me go, and I never tried to play again for a long time.

As the astute reader has likely figured out by now, I recently managed to get roped back in to World of Warcraft with the release of the game's newest expansion earlier this December. This expansion, Cataclysm, is the game's third since it's launch in 2004. However, Cataclysm does not just provide new content or playable races (though it does) - the hook that drew me back into WoW was that Cataclysm promised to essentially shake up the entire game. Blizzard retooled the starting areas, adding in more immersive and fully-developed quests, and adjusted the leveling process to make it somewhat more friendly to new players. It's actually a pretty genius move, and I have a lot of respect for the sheer balls that it must have taken - instead of putting in a new continent or retconning in some weak story, Blizzard found a way to add content, tweak the entire game world, and actually have a fairly compelling story behind it.

I can't speak as to the effects of Cataclysm on higher level, veteran WoW players, but I can say that Blizzard has once again done a fantastic job in making their game impossible to put down. When it comes to MMOs, I'm definitely a complete noob, but that hasn't stopped Cataclysm from sucking me in and delivering a surprisingly engaging overall experience. That's not to say that everything is absolutely perfect: some of the "grind" that MMOs are notorious for is still present here, and despite the steps that Cataclysm takes, it can still be very confusing and overwhelming to try to grasp all of the intricacies of the enormous game. As with any game of WoW's scale, there are bound to be various bugs, some of which can be quite frustrating - though from what I remember of my previous time in WoW and some time playing Star Wars Galaxies, Blizzard has created a remarkably polished game with Cataclysm.

Those who tried World of Warcraft in the past and hated it would probably not have a change of heart if they tried Cataclysm - the basic formula of the game is still the same. However, Cataclysm marks a significant step towards refining an already addictive world into one that is both more accessible and deeper at the same time. Anyone who got tired of WoW in the past will want to check out what Blizzard has done with this game - and most of the changes that the expansion provides come in the form of a free patch, so gamers can essentially test-drive Cataclysm without having to buy it. I'm not going to give the game a letter grade, since I'm just not qualified to do so, but suffice it to say I'd recommend giving it a shot.

And for those of you who have absolutely zero interest in this game and will never get a minute's enjoyment out of it, maybe at least you'll find some entertainment in this. Hopefully this write-up was slightly less terrible.

Grade: None (Recommended)

Random Topics: See! I'm Not Crazy!

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 06:26:00 +0000

Just saw this on one of the TV blogs I sometimes frequent. Remarkably similar to the points that I was making about the Buffy reboot. Could it be...(dramatic sound effect) thievery?

The answer's no, by the way. More likely, it means that everyone who has given this a second's worth of thought has concluded that it's a dumb idea. Yeesh. Maybe I need to try to be less of a nerd, cause it can just be real stressful sometimes. I promise this is the last I'll post about it.

Unless it keeps bothering me.

Film Review -- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Moseley) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 04:15:00 +0000

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1
Director: David Yates; Writer: Steve Kloves
Warner Bros. Pictures

Every Harry Potter movie has seemed a bit of a doomed proposition from the get-go; the films have to deal with issues of managing fan expectations and lessening disappointment to a far greater extent than most adaptations, simply because the fans of the series are so passionate and numerous. The novels seem to be so much a part of the modern collective consciousness (or, at least, that of the audience that sees the films) in a way that even the Lord of the Rings or the Chronicles of Narnia can't compare to. Ironically, the franchise's intense popularity has prevented the movies from excelling - the filmmakers can't possibly hope to deliver the same depth and experience that the books provide, which leads to inevitably unfavorable comparisons.

Of course, I might be completely talking out of my ass, and maybe the real reason that the Harry Potter movies have been largely disappointing to me is that they just weren't all that good. Oftentimes it feels like the films emphasize style over substance, that they're more concerned with advancing plot than character, and that they fumble some of the most compelling aspects of the books. I feel obligated to defend the third and fourth films as being pretty good, and the fifth and six were alright, but I certainly wouldn't call any of them great. And while I still wouldn't call Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 "great," it is my favorite Harry Potter movie yet.

David Yates, who also helmed the fifth and sixth movies, has returned to direct both installments of the seventh film, and his style is in evidence throughout part one. Deathly Hallows retains the darker tone of the previous two movies, and Yates continues to produce some truly spectacular shots - both indoor and outdoor scenes in the film are quite often breathtaking and gorgeous. Screenwriter Steve Kloves is also back from the sixth movie, bringing with him another script that is serviceable and inoffensive, if not particularly good. Kloves' script is greatly helped by the all-star lineup of British actors that show up to deliver the lines - nearly every person that appears in a supporting role has a resume deserving of respect.

Part one of Deathly Hallows, however, focuses more than ever on the core group of three, with typically mixed results. Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson have certainly developed well into the main roles, but the movie (again) frequently makes their characters hard to like, infusing their scenes with heaps of melodrama and angst. The opening is particularly off-putting, with each of the three gazing morosely into space for an uncomfortably long time. When the actors and their characters are given something important to do, however, they become immensely more appealing - there are some fantastic bits at the Ministry of Magic and in the village of Godric's Hollow.

Despite having main characters that are occasionally portrayed in an aggravating manner, and despite having one of the most blatant deus ex machina moments I've ever seen in a movie, I found Deathly Hallows to be the most compelling and tense that the films have ever been - a real sense of urgency drives the movie forward in a way that just wasn't present in previous films. The movie does not lack for being split into two parts; on the contrary, Yates is able to keep a pervasive feeling of menace while developing the story more fully than other Potter directors have had the chance to. This allows for some truly wonderful sequences that I imagine would have had to been cut or severely edited without the split. The post-opening scene with Voldemort and his Death Eaters is especially great, featuring some spectacular performances and setting a grim tone for the ensuing action, and the animated rendition of the tale of the Deathly Hallows makes for a refreshing and beautiful change of pace.

Little touches like those make all the difference - my biggest problem with the films has been that they simply have no chance of capturing all the details and nuances that make the books so fun. Sure, the movies are gorgeous and feature cutting-edge special effects (and Deathly Hallows can boast these qualities as well), but some intangible element of the books just wasn't making the transition to the big screen. Yates hasn't quite found the solution, but the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 is a definite step in the right direction.

Grade: B+

Quick Shout-Out - One thing that I didn't think really belonged in the review, but which I wanted to mention, was how much I respected the decision of Warner Bros. Pictures to not do a quick and shoddy 3D conversion of the movie. They undoubtedly would have made more money by doing so, and there were quite a few moments in the movie that seemed designed for 3D effects, but I am very glad that they opted not to screw everyone over this time.