Off Topic

Film Review: American Hustle

2014-01-03T14:15:00.002-08:00

David O Russell has had a very interesting career, and it has been a great deal of fun to watch it develop. Intriguing films like Three Kings (1999) and I Heart Huckabees (2004) gave way to Oscar contenders like The Fighter (2010) and Silver Linings Playbook (2012). Hustle lands somewhere in between all of his work. Like his early work, it is unapologetic in its ambition, yet it has the polish of his recent work at the same time. In tone, it resembles the Coen brothers, and in story it is not dissimilar to a younger Tarantino.

The casting is interesting - not perfect, but still great. Christian Bale is Irving, a low-stakes New York conman who meets Sydney (Amy Adams), whose fiery intelligence and insatiable ambition intrigues him but ultimately lands the pair with Richie Di Maso (Bradley Cooper), an FBI agent who hopes to parlay the duo's skill into a bigger political catch that will catapult his career into the stratosphere. It should be mentioned that the film is a loose play on the ABSCAM fiasco of the late '70s.

Story: 3/5 - It's a fun story, to be sure, and I really like the role that ambition plays. Everybody has their own checks, and it is the characters without restraint that drive the plot. When Irving can't control his wife (Jennifer Lawrence), she gets entangled with the mob. When the FBI can't reign in Richie, he continually escalates the situation. The amount of twists made me think of Tarantino (Pulp Fiction), but I still found it relatively predictable. I wasn't a fan of the narrator, either. It wasn't really necessary and kind of dumbed the movie down.

Writing: 5/5 - The writing was thrilling, and really made me think of the Coens. You get to meet all of these characters, and somehow to like them all. Every scene is well written, and some are absolutely hilarious. The tension doesn't always work. It's not perfect, but it's close.

Acting: 5/5 - Where to begin? Christian Bale and Amy Adams as leads aren't going to disappoint, you know that when you buy your ticket. Bradley Cooper swings for the fences as the maniacal sometimes-antagonist FBI agent (think of Gary Oldman's Norman Stansfield from Leon, but with more incompetence and less evil). Jennifer Lawrence is sultry, reckless, and impossible to ignore, like a train about to go off the rails. That I want to bang. Louis CK is hilarious in a bit part as Cooper's commanding officer, and I continue to be impressed by Robert De Niro's latest work in a cameo as a mob boss. Jeremy Renner is solid as a New Jersey mayor committed to doing the right thing for his people, by any means necessary. This is a Best Cast contender.

Aesthetics: 4/5 - The music is a blast. The costumes and sets are awesome. It's really just a good-looking film.

Final Score: 85% - Not the Best Picture contender I envisioned, but its still one of the most entertaining pictures of the year.

Film Review: Grudge Match

2014-01-01T07:42:00.000-08:00

Look, maybe I'm a sucker. I love a well-done fight movie. I love Rocky, all of them (except V, fuck Rocky V), even the one where he goes to Russia and ends the Cold War. I thought that Rocky Balboa (2006) was a very good movie and a deserving entrant in the franchise when a lot of people hated it.

On the other hand (De Niro's), Raging Bull is quite possibly the greatest bit of American cinema ever, and almost undoubtedly the finest film of the last 35 years. The title sequence gives me chills every time.

Hell, I liked Warrior.

So when I heard about Grudge Match, I didn't know how to feel. Did we really need to dust off what are essentially mimicrys of Rocky Balboa and Jake Lamotta? How much story is left to tell there? At the same time, didn't Rocky Balboa show us that this kind of movie is possible to make? Where do we set expectations for this?

Grudge Match is the story of two boxers who split a pair of enormous fights in the 1980s, only for Stallone's 'Razor' Sharp to walk away from De Niro's Billy 'The Kid' McDonnen, the rematch, and millions of dollars, for reasons he never tries to explain. After a present-day altercation drums up media attention, the son of their late promoter (Kevin Hart) encourages the two to do a rubber match.

Story: 2/5 - It's just ok. The story is fairly predictable, but it's still fun. The relationship between the two fighters is interesting, and it was entertaining to watch them air each other's dirty old laundry over the course of the movie.

Writing: 3/5 - Maybe I bumped my head the night before the movie, but I thought the movie was funny enough. Nobody's going to win an award here, but there's enough emotion to make you care and just enough comedy to make the 113 minute runtime bearable.

Acting: 3/5 - Say what you want about De Niro (and most are appalled that he's still acting), but with his appearances in David O Russell's films, I would hazard to say his last 12 months have been his best work in the last 15 years. He at lease looks like he put on and lost a good deal of weight as part of this role. Sly Stallone is what he is. If anybody can play a run-down former boxer, it's him. I love Alan Arkin, and he's fine as Stallone's old trainer, 'Lightning.' Kevin Hart is just comedic relief, but he does a decent job. I was impressed with Jon Bernthal as Kid's son, BJ, mostly because I hate The Walking Dead. I liked some of the cameos, like Tyson and Holyfield, and Chael Sonnen.

Aesthetics: 2/5 - These guys are too old to be pretend fighting, let's just be honest. It doesn't look good, it doesn't look believable. Stallone did alright in Balboa, but 67 is a lot older than 60. The production values were good - they captured the downtrodden Pittsburgh as well as the glitz of Las Vegas.

Final Score: 50% - Grudge Match currently has a 21% rating on RottenTomatoes, so maybe I'm missing something, but though it ran a bit long for me, it was worth a watch.

Film Review: Smaug the Magnificent; Hobbit the Mediocre

2013-12-22T06:26:00.001-08:00

There's nothing to discuss here, really. You've seen the trailers, you've probably read the books. This is about the second installment in Peter Jackson's inexplicable Hobbit trilogy, The Desolation of Smaug.

Story: 2/5 - The book is fun, and is well-loved. As a result, the movies can't help but be a pretty good time. That being said, the constant 'out of the frying pan' type of trouble the dwarves get into gets old after almost 6 hours now. There just isn't enough story here to make three three-hour movies. There's no real drama because you know there's a third movie, and the pacing suffers pretty badly as well.

Writing: 4/5 - Yeah, it's brash, dopey fantasy writing, but screenwriters Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens (a veteran of Jackson's efforts), Jackson, and briefly-signed director Benicio del Toro do a good job of making these believable, immersive characters through the writing. Critics like to throw around the word 'charming' for children's movie characters, and while I don't think that word applies, these are fun, but darker, multi-layered people.

Acting: 3/5 - The cast is pretty top-heavy. I love Martin Freeman as Bilbo, and Richard Armitage always does a great job. Ian McKellen isn't at his best, but he's probably one of the best living English-language actors, so he's probably OK mailing this one in. Benedict Cumberpatch was a fantastic cast as Smaug the dragon; his voice work and mocap (maybe Jackson's greatest filmmaking legacy) were fantastic. I liked Ken Stott as Balin, and Evangeline Lily as some elf chick made up for the movie. Stephen Fry is fun as the Master of the Men of the Lake. There are some lacking performances, though. Orlando Bloom was just there for fun, and a lot of the orcs were straight-up shoddy compared to the original trilogy.

(Note) A lot of people complained about the prequel Star Wars trilogy because of iffy acting, and something people have pointed to is Lucas basically punting on-location shooting and using greenscreen. This makes it harder for the actors to interact with the set and cast a believable performance. I think The Hobbit trilogy is another great example of this. Everything is CG. McKellan is a legend of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has six Laurence Olivier Awards. How is he supposed to be at his best with nothing but a bright green wall as his accompaniment?

Aesthetics: 4/5 - Smaug is awesome, and is more or less worth the price of admission. Some of the sets are cool.

Final Score: 65% - The character and presentation of Smaug is enough to make this movie worth watching. As an art piece, though, it is far from Jackson's best work.

Album Review: Starbomb

2013-12-20T11:04:00.001-08:00

Starbomb is something quite special. And not for everybody. It's a band that consists of two of my personal favorite internet personalities, cartoonist Arin "Egoraptor" Hanson and Ninja Sex Party. Ninja Sex Party is a two-man band, with Danny Sexbang (or Leigh Daniel Avidan for you sophisticated folk) and Ninja Brian (or
Brian Wecht, a theoretical physicist working at Queen Mary, University of London, studying string theory and supersymmetry). Arin and Danny co-host Game Grumps on Youtube together, so you can already tell even on the album's intro track that they have incredible chemistry. Arin is usually the rapper on these tracks, while Danny delivers the hooks with his incredibly unique voice and Ninja Brian does an amazing job on the production of each track.

The album itself contains 11 video game themed songs, featuring tons of popular Nintendo characters. This is obviously a comedy album, but it is put together extremely well. The tracks are usually parodying a specific
part of a game, placing the characters in strangely adult situations with a crazy amount of dick jokes. But it works. Oh boy, does it work.

I Choose You to Die (9/10)-Arin's rapping is a little bit clunky on this, but that's mostly due to the awesome Pokemon puns in this song. The track tells the story of how Ash Ketchum had nothing in life after beating the Elite Four, so he turned to beating his Pokemon and got arrested for domestic violence. The song is good enough, but is made fantastic by Danny's hooks. His ability to make jokes while keeping with beat and tune of the song really stands out here.

Luigi's Ballad (8/10)-Danny plays the part of Luigi on this song, with Arin as Mario and Rachel Bloom guest appearing as Princess Peach. This is essentially a fight between the Mario Bros. about which one of them Peach should love more. Danny plays a sincere Luigi, trying to make Peach fall for him, while Mario is much more aggressive an obnoxious. Again, Danny's vocals top Arin's rapping, but there's not enough of Danny on this song, in my opinion. Arin also did an animated music video for the song, which you can check out here:

It's Dangerous to Go Alone (7/10)-This one is about that old man in the cave in the original Zelda games that gives Link his first sword. But in Starbomb's version, the old man (Danny) is trying to give Link (Arin) a penis sword. It's such a strange song, with a few too many dick jokes, but I liked how Liberty City and Raccoon City were tossed into the song, just for more references. Dan's vocals are great again, Arin's rapping is actually better than the previous songs, and the "chilled out groove" on this song is one of Ninja Brian's best.

Meet Arin

Mega Marital Problems (8/10)-Mega Man (Arin) and his wife (Dan) are arguing about their monotonous sex life on this one, with Dr. Wily (Dan again) is acting as their therapist. The premise seems weird, but it actually ends up being pretty funny, especially when Zero (more Danny) shows up at the end, trying to steal Mega Man's wife. As Zero, Danny shows off his crazy vocal range and it's amazing. The song flows great and the majority of it is about Mega Man fighting robot masters to gain better sex skills, which is silly enough to work.

Rap Battle: Ryu vs. Ken (10/10)-This song is a quick one, but it features Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter duking it out with rhymes rather than fists. Ryu (Arin) tries really hard and Arin does it really well, while Ken (Danny) can't rhyme on beat and doesn't care as much about it as Ryu. Obviously Ryu wins with some ridiculous rhymes and kicks Ken in "his scrotums".

Crasher-Vania (10/10)-This is probably my favorite song on the album. It's extremely catchy and Danny's hooks are incredible. His hooks are accompanied with harmonies done by himself, which makes them even better. This is also the song with the lowest amount of dick jokes, which was refreshing after being bombarded by them early on. Arin does a great Dracula accent and tells the true story of Castlevania: Simon is mad that Dracula never invites him to his monster mashes. Here's a clip from the song (also Arin kisses Ninja Brian):

The Book of Nook (7/10)-Arin is Tom Nook on this track, portraying him as the ruthless mayor of Animal Crossing. He cleverly works in the other non-residents in the game, but this track only features a short hook from Danny, which is not enough.

Sonic's Best Pal (9/10)-Another great job by Ninja Brian, as Danny raps over a high-tempo beat, telling the story of Sonic and his pals having a good time and enjoying life. The beat then transitions to a heavy metal track, as Arin screams as a PCP-addicted Tails the Fox. The song is hilarious, the beats and transitions are great, and Danny's happiness works so well with Arin and Tails' rage and craziness.

Regretroid (9/10)-Arin tells the story of Samus Aran on this track and how enemies get a lot softer when they find out she's a girl. Danny does a great job as Kraid, with a great mixture of rapping and singing. Emily

And meet Danny

Valentine guests as Samus and works really well off of Danny's reluctant Kraid.

Kirby's Adventure in Reamland (2/10)-This song is terrible. Plain and simple. Kirby is probably my favorite video game character (and my main in Smash Bros), but this song was just plain disturbing. I couldn't enjoy it, it didn't make me laugh, it just gave me an uncomfortable feeling. Danny's vocals are the only redeeming quality.

The Simple Plot of Final Fantasy 7 (10/10)-Arin plays Cloud Strife in this song, which takes place during a talk show interview. Other characters such as Donkey Kong and Pac-Man state the plots of their games, which are never more than a few words, while Cloud constantly interrupts host Danny to relay the "simple" plot of his game. It's a really funny song, with a lot of classic video game references and Arin's verses flow really well.

Overall, this album gets a 8.5/10. I love these two acts and they're great when combined. They teased a next album, which they then confirmed, on the outro track of the album and I cannot wait for it. Maybe a few less dick jokes next time. Just a few. Please.

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Game Review: The Walking Dead: Season 2 (Episode 1: All That Remains)

2013-12-17T16:48:00.000-08:00

This post contains spoilers for both The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: Season 2 games.

Telltale has done it again. After making us all feel like the vulnerable human beings we are in last year's masterpiece of a game, The Walking Dead, the geniuses at Telltale provide us with the next chapter of the epic game series. Season 2 begins a few months after where the first game left off. Clementine is now the playable character, replacing Lee Everett, who met an unfortunate end at the end of the first game. A post-credits scene in that game showed Clem finding two figures in a large field, after abandoning Lee to begin her journey alone. These two figures ended up being Omid and Christa, the only two KNOWN survivors of the season 1 group, other than Clem. Clem, Omid, and Christa appear to wander for a few months, which brings us to where Season 2 begins. And where I started going crazy. And where the spoilers for the new game start.

Right off the bat, you can tell this game is going to be darker than the last. First off, you're playing as a little girl who knows how to kill. Also, the theories about Christa being pregnant are confirmed, as she has a huge stomach and the opening scene contains an argument over whether or not to name the baby Omid. Clem and her two companions stop at an abandoned rest stop, which is actually the one that appears several times in the 400 Days DLC for the first game. Clem heads into the bathroom (which has a nice TV show reference in it; "TBone is da illest" is carved into a stall) to clean up and hides in a stall when another teenage girl walks in. The girl finds Clem and begins to interrogate her at gun point, at which point Omid tries to sneak in, fails, and is shot and killed. This was pretty jarring for me, as it came before the opening credits even rolled and Omid was advertised as a kinda "look who's back" character. Christa comes in, shoots the girl, and her and Clem travel north together for 16 months. When we flash forward, Christa's baby bump is gone obviously, but there is no baby. Hm. Some men then try to attack the two ladies and Clem escapes and floats down a river. She wakes up and walks down a forest trail and meets a dog.The dog and Clem search for food and everything seems fine, until she finds some and the dog attacks her. Clem kicks the dog back and it gets impaled on spikes. This is where you can REALLY tell that this is a darker game. Your first major decision is whether or not you want this little girl to kill the suffering animal. I needed to take a break after this part.

The next part of the game is where you meet your new companions. Pete and Luke find Clem, suffering from hunger and blood loss, about to be got by the getters. They carry her back to their group, but not before Luke freaks out about the dog bite on the way. Pete believes that it was a dog, while Luke is more hesitant and upset that Clem killed the dog. Pete seems to be more understanding so far, but Clem sees a more

Meet Pete!

welcoming friendliness in Luke. Some assholes want to kill Clem, one asshole (Nick) almost shoots her when she wakes up, and then Carlos, the doctor, comes to take a look at her. The group decides to wait until morning to make sure it really is a dog bite, then they'll clean it. So far, the only non-complete assholes in the group are Luke, Pete, and Alvin. The group of jerks lock Clem in a shed, which she promptly breaks out of. She then breaks into the house and you have to find peroxide, a needle, and bandages so she can fix her arm. Clem gets all this stuff, meets Carlos' daughter Sarah, runs back to the shed, and you then have to stitch up the dog bite, step-by-step. I could barely get through this part. The only blood I can deal with is Game of Thrones quick cuts with a sword, but having to look at Clem's cut while she stitches it up, screaming in agony, made me have to take another break.

After this, Clem is attacked by a walker and the group appreciates her toughness. They decide that she's lasted long enough without a fever, so they FINALLY treat her dog bite. Clem then has the choice to accept Nick's apology (Nick being the guy who almost shot her when she woke up originally). You can also choose to tell Luke all about Lee and the old group and then choose to make friends with Rebecca or confront her about who her baby belongs to. She's really mean and I hope she dies soon. Anyway, the next day, Clem, Pete and Nick go out to hunt and find a bunch of corpses, one being Roman from 400 Days. Clem then finds a survivor, who also has her backpack, who she recognizes as someone from the woods at the start of the game. Pete is then attacked and visibly bitten, then attacked again, and you have to choose whether to go with Nick or Pete during the attack. The episode ends with Clem running off with whoever you choose.

I really enjoyed this first episode and believe that this series has the potential to be better than the first game. It's much more difficult to play as a child, when you want people to like you and help you because you know you can't live with no friends, but you also don't want to be nice to some people. It was much easier with Lee because you knew you would always have Clementine and SOMEBODY would be on your side, but with Clem, you need to pick your sides carefully. I loved this new challenge and can't wait for the next episode, which hopefully comes out sometime next month.

My Choices:

I chose to distract the men in the woods to help Christa
I chose to kill the dog
I chose to make friends with Sarah
I chose to accept Nick's apology
I chose to save and go with Pete

Film Review: Jobs

2013-12-07T21:11:00.001-08:00

I don't know how to describe this movie. You have to watch it to appreciate... whatever it is. Make no mistake, it is not good. It is not the world's worst movie, but I would not recommend it either.

There were a lot of good names attached to the movie, Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad among them, and it was selected to close the Sundance Film Festival. But it was not developed by a major studio and had just a $12 million budget. Ultimately it feels cheap and, while ambitious, incomplete.

Story: 2/5 - Look, it's the story of Steve Jobs's life as he drops out of university and founds Apple Computer, gaining clients and investors and turning it into a major industry powerhouse. Unfortunately, the film does not do a good job of telling the story. I hope you didn't want to care when Jobs throws his pregnant girlfriend out of his house and his life, because you don't have any reason to. When he snaps at a friend and the friend tells another character that Jobs has 'changed,' we don't ever really know why. The pacing is awful.

Writing: 1/5 - This scene actually happens: Steve Jobs presents the Apple II at a computer fair, but which I mean he shows the case, says it will revolutionize the industry, then basks in a standing ovation as an actual, I swear to God, electric guitar solo cuts into the overlay. It's that kind of movie.

Acting: 2.5/5 - I don't hate Kutcher. I actually kind of like him. But he's not right for this role. He's game, you can tell he is passionate about his character, but it just doesn't work. The guy who played Kelso can't be the same guy who dumps his pregnant girlfriend and tears a swath of destruction through silicon valley - it's a level of intensity that doesn't make sense for him. There are some other decent performances in the movie: Josh Gas as inventor/co-founder Steve Wozniak, JK Simmons as tech investor Arthur Rock.

Aesthetics - 2/5 - Cinematographer Russell Carpenter won an Oscar in 1997 for Titanic. He's alright, and the movie is shot fairly well. The sets are pretty good, too. What really hurts the movie is the soundtrack. It sounds cheap, and a lot of the editing is poor as well (both audio and visual).

Total Score: 38% - Walter Isaac wrote a fantastic biography of Jobs. Read that. Or wait for the Sony Pictures movie version of it. Just don't watch Jobs.

A Monthly Dose of Westeros: Part 7-Sansa Stark

2013-12-05T09:28:00.001-08:00

I guess it’s not-so-monthly now...but still, I will be providing my thoughts and predictions for one storyline every month until the show’s return. Since I have read the books, I know what should happen, but several plots seem to be taking turns away from the original material, while others are almost spot on. I will examine these apparent changes/accuracy, and do my best to avoid spoilers in “A Monthly Dose of Westeros”.

Sansa Stark is probably one of the most show's most hated characters. Not because she's a monster like Joffrey Baratheon or because she burned down Winterfell like Theon Greyjoy or because she orchestrated a mass murder/wedding like Walder Frey and Roose Bolton. Sansa is hated because she's a princess. A lot of people think she's a bitchy little girl who only wants to be princess and get what she wants. But, that's what girls were in medieval times. Noble girls were groomed to be noble women when they grew up. Sansa is a product of her upbringing and that should be a reason to hate her. Sure, she's dumb sometimes, but she has gotten smarter as her situation has gotten worse and worse. Remember, she's being held captive by one of the most evil people in the realm. She's watched her father die, her direwolf lasted a single episode, her sister ran away without her, and her oldest brother and mother are dead, and she was forced to marry a drunken dwarf after being freed from Joffrey. I don't fault her for being stupid sometimes. Actually, she's one of my favorite characters. I love defending her and I do everything in my power to make people understand that Sansa is not that bad. It gets better.

It's difficult to say what's coming up for Sansa without giving too much away, so instead I'll just give a quick recap of season three Sansa and hopefully make this post long enough to allow me to include a bunch of pretty pictures of Sophie Turner. Anyway, Sansa's betrothal to Joffrey was broken off as Margaery Tyrell was brought into the picture. Sansa is still a captive in King's Landing, but Littlefinger has promised that when he leaves the

What a wedding!

city, he would bring her along with him. Sansa then meets up with Loras Tyrell, who she has a major crush on, and the two get along swimmingly. Unfortunately for Sansa, Loras is gay and also about to be forced to marry Cersei. This is when things get weird. Tyrion Lannister is now being forced to marry Sansa and has to break the news to her in front of Shae. On top of this, Littlefinger departs for the Vale without Sansa and she starts to cry. Then Tyrion and Sansa have a nice wedding, he chooses not to bed her until she's ready, and Shae appreciates that. Sansa and Tyrion begin to understand one another better and actually get along pretty well. Sansa doesn't realize it yet, but Tyrion is the only Lannister who truly cares about her well-being and this marriage makes her pretty damn safe. Just when things are beginning to go well, the Red Wedding happens. Tyrion is sent to break the news to Sansa, but she has already found out, and any good feelings they were starting to get towards each other disappear with one sad look:

She ain't forgivin' him

Sansa's story does improve. Just trust me. She's older and smarter than she has been in previous seasons. She's been forced to adapt to being a captive and she knows that she can't be a princess. For non-book readers, there are several points where you would think this story has hit a dead end and there's no more they can do with this character. Then Blackwater and the Tyrells happened. Then Tyrion happened. In this next season, there will be another major shakeup to Sansa's story that I'm hoping will cause the Sansa-hate to decrease.

Sansa is one of the biggest pawns in the game of thrones, but in a few seasons, I feel she will be a major player. If you take a minute to rethink Sansa Stark, she might become one of your favorite characters as well.

Film Review: Mud

2013-12-03T14:35:00.000-08:00

Just when I started to get down on 2013 in film.

Now, technically Mud may be considered a 2012 release - it debuted at Cannes in May of 2012, but was not widely released until the beginning of 2013. It was a smart choice to hold it off for this year, as 2012 offered much stiffer competition where critical acclaim is concerned -- and critics have loved Mud, which currently has the year's 11-th best score (98%) on RottenTomatoes. In fact, the Mud screener was the first DVD sent out to Academy Award voters.

The film is virtually flawless, and cements Jeff Nichols among the best young directors in Hollywood. His other films (Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter) have some of the same tone, and he reminds me of a visual Cormac McCarthy. The abrupt violence, the pacing, and the gritty tone of his movies reeks of high literature, and Mud is his best film so far - a fine director operating at the very pinnacle of the art.

Unlike McCarthy, the film operates on more than a depressingly real level - as frustrating and close as the story is, there is a higher purpose - the story is about love. Ellis (a brilliant Tye Sheridan) and his friend Neckbone discover a man (McConaughey) who calls himself Mud on the shores of rural Deep South, USA. As Mud strains to reunite with his own forbidden love, Ellis, 14, is coming to terms with girls in his own right while watching his parents grow distant.

The film doubles as a Bildungsroman ('coming-of-age') story for Ellis, as he discovers what love is, what the point of love is, and what it means to be a man.

--

Story: 5/5 - The plot does its best to remain subtle while presenting very clear, classic themes. Love. Redemption. Maturation. Much like a McCarthy novel, the story is very plain, very real, and very, for lack of a better word, American.

Writing: 5/5 - This is how people talk in real life. There was not a single instance of a character saying something to explain something to the audience or further the plot. Again, McCarthy - these people are defined by their actions, and the story being told is the story of what they do - what they say is academic. That being said, there is some absolutely thrilling dialogue, and McConaughey is given some terrific moments to shine:

Acting: 5/5 - Matthew McConaughey deserves Oscar buzz for his performance, and I think he will get it. From the movies I have seen in 2013, it is he and Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips) against the field. Tye Sheridan, all of 15 at the time of filming, deserves talk as well (and not just for MTV 'best kiss' awards). The supporting cast all stands out: Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire, Man of Steel), Sam Shepard (The Assassination of Jesse James), and Ray McKinnon (Deadwood) were all perfect casting choices and all do their jobs perfectly.

Aesthetics: 5/5 - Adam Stone as cinematographer is good, not great, as he has been in Nichols's past work. The reason I thought the aesthetic of the film was perfect was how everything came together to create a flawless atmosphere. The sets, the costumes, the photography, the soundtrack - when combined with the characters and the actors' abilities it creates a flawlessly real time and place. I've never been anywhere in the States between Raleigh and Orlando (not counting Hartsfield), but I grew up in a similarly rural, economically-depressed, fuck-you-government area, and I have to say that the film triggered some kind of perverse nostalgia. It's Norman Rockwell, it's John Updike, it's Nelson Algren - the film is a Polaroid of a culture, and it accomplishes this with authority.

Final Score: 100% - I couldn't find a flaw in this movie. It's a drama, of course, so it's not for everyone - but if you like and/or appreciate film, this is the must-see movie of the year so far.

A Monthly Dose of Westeros: Part 6-Jon Snow

2013-11-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile. This post will be a little later than previous ones, thanks to college, so it'll be a bigger one. This time, we'll take a look at everybody's favorite bastard, Jon Snow and the characters he'll interact with next season.

Last we saw Jon, he had arrived at Castle Black after an escape from his wildling "friends" and his lover, Ygritte. On his way home ,Jon and Ygritte went through a messy breakup that left Jon full of arrows and many viewers misty-eyed. In one single heartbreaking scene, both characters' worlds were turned upside down.

I mean, look at these two. They're young kids in love, who can't be together because they're supposed to be fighting a war against each other. Jon has that Stark sense of duty and honor and Ygritte thought she had

shaken that out of him. The look on her face at the end of this scene says it all: you know nothing, Jon Snow, but you are a Stark.

Anyway, here's what we know involving the other characters surrounding Jon's arc. The Night's Watch is badly bloodied and now lacking in numbers. There was a garrison left at Castle Black, but the strength of the Watch was either killed during the Battle of the Fist of the First Men or remains beyond the Wall after the Mutiny at Craster's Keep. Lord Commander Mormont has been murdered by sworn brothers, with Rast and Karl leading the assault. The two now lead the remains of the Watch at Craster's. We don't know the locations of Grenn, Pyp, and Dolorous Edd (hopefully they're all alive). Samwell Tarly escaped Craster's with Gilly and her baby, killed a White Walker, sent Bran Stark and friends beyond the Wall, and returned to Castle Black. Sam was then instructed by Maester Aemon to send ravens to the great lords of Westeros requesting aid against the coming force of the Walkers. This is the same time that Jon returns, arrow-filled and barely conscious. Meanwhile, Tormund Giantsbane is leading an army of

wildlings, which includes Ygritte, towards Castle Black. Thanks to Jon, the group knows where and when to strike.

That's a lot of information to process. We also learned that Stannis Baratheon is preparing to head north, being the only one to answer the call from the Wall. With Stannis coming from the south, Tormund sneaking in the back, and Mance Rayder marching towards the Wall, it looks like we're in for one hell of a fight.

Next season will be Jon Snow's season. No doubt about it. Jon's storyline in the second half of A Storm of Swords has a ton in it and, if everything works out perfectly, we should get a couple battles, a few sad moments, and a few moments of triumph all in a span of ten weeks. Clearly we have at least one huge battle to look forward to, since a bunch of huge forces are coming to Castle Black. The ninth episode of the next season is actually (at least tentatively) titled "Castle Black", and is being directed by Neil Marshall. Marshall was the man behind season two's "Blackwater", so take that as you may.

Many of the characters that are usually surrounding Jon might have a much lesser role to play next season. Sam should fade into the background fro the majority of the season and the rest of the crows we're familiar with are still lost in the woods. Ygritte will obviously still play a huge part in Jon's story, as her and the wildlings are quickly closing in on the remaining crows. For fans of the Stark family, this season could bring some retribution to make up for last year's Red Wedding, but there's still plenty of action left to happen for Jon and his sworn brothers.

Movie Review: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

2013-11-23T13:42:00.003-08:00

I won't waste your time with preamble or plot overview. If you live in the Western world and are capable of reading this, you've seen a commercial.

Story: 5/5 - Honestly, I found the story very compelling. The first one was a bit lacking in this regard - it's virtually just Takami's Battle Royale. But this one was so much bigger than the game, with lot of clear motives and compelling emotional impact. It also totally avoided the stupid things that really tugged at the story of the first one (Peeta makes himself up like a log and just lies there until Katniss find him!), which was a big plus. It runs to 146 minutes, but it uses all of that time to tell a much grander story.

Writing: 4/5 - I had no problems with the script, either, which is shocking for a young adult film like this. The producers brought in some heavy hitters to pen the screenplay: Michael Arndt (Oscar win for Little Miss Sunshine, Oscar nom for Toy Story 3, Brave) and Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) are two of the best in the business, and while this script doesn't deserve Academy Award discussion, it has everything (realism, humour, opportunities for Jennifer Lawrence to speak) and for a film in this genre, is frankly outstanding. I really wish I'd read the book to see if the way the dialogue keeps the viewer up-to-date (perfectly) is something that Collins did in the novel, or something the screenwriters had to add.

Acting: 4/5 - I bet Josh Hutcherson is a really nice guy, but I hate his stupid face and I don't like his acting. That being said, everybody else is great. Donald Sutherland is perfectly arrogant, Woody Harrelson is equal parts frustrating and warm. Jennifer Lawrence is Jennifer Lawrence. Even Elizabeth Banks gets to open up a bit as Effie sees her victors forced into another awful situation.

Aesthetics: 4/5 - Jo Willems is a solid cinematographer, and I look forward to watching his career unfold. 30 Days of Night was pretty dynamic. With a budget of this size ($130 million), of course the effects and editing are going to be great.

Final Score: 85% Grittier and darker than the first one, this film has something for everyone. Just a fun movie.

Thor: The Dark World review

2013-11-08T20:03:00.001-08:00

Rotten Tomatoes is a wonderful website. It exists as the ultimate collection of film reviews and critical assessments. The link to Marvel's "Thor: The Dark World" shows a film with a modest rating that is praised for its wit and mocked for its inability to contribute anything new to the film industry. In fact, many of the same criticisms of the second tour of Asgard are seen in film reviews for "Iron Man 3." It's easy to see that film critics are growing tired of superhero movies, and perhaps those individuals have a point. However, it is every bit as likely that these individuals are utilizing the wrong scope to view the film.

Try as they might, film critics have a very hard time leaving "The Avengers" out of their film reviews. It is well understood that Marvel's crown jewel helped to set the standard for comic book films--along with "The Dark Knight" from DC Comics. No disrespect to Marvel, but it is slightly absurd to compare the post-Avengers films to this high standard. The movies carry a different goal and should be judged independently of "The Avengers"--no matter how much their stories tie in.

In the post-Avengers world of Marvel, it is clear what Stan Lee's goal is: he wants to see the action-packed moments tie into moments of real emotion. Whether that emotion comes from laughter, happiness, anger, or sorrow is irrelevant when it comes to the delivery that has been seen in "Iron Man 3" and "Thor: The Dark World." One of the truly memorable parts of this film is how easily the film can draw out emotions. The transitions from laughter to anger to sorrow are swift, frequent, and sometimes very bold--while also carrying more subtle moments. One of the qualms many critics seem to have of the film is that it does go back and forth so swiftly--at times, it feels like the movie doesn't exactly know what it wants to do.

The transition between these moments is what makes this film so unique within the Marvel universe. Something "Thor: The Dark World" does better than any other Marvel film is make the audience feel as if they are reading a comic book. The film has many moments that feel as if it is jumping from frame to frame within a graphic novel, which is something that Stan Lee has hinted at wanting to accomplish.

Now, do not be fooled by the praise set forth to this point--there are several flaws in this film. While jumping from frame to frame is a unique trait that is hard to pull off, there are certainly moments where it shouldn't have happened in the film. One of the great moments in "The Avengers" occurs when The Incredible Hulk tosses Loki around as if he were a rag doll. The moment occurs within the film's major battle scene and provides a true comic-book quality moment. In "Thor: The Dark World" battle scenes are often interrupted by such moments--certainly not always for the better of the film.

***SPOILER WARNING***

There is also an issue in lack of plot. Over the arc of the story, audiences learn about the tale of the Dark Elves. From that point, the plot proceeds very slowly. Ultimately the plot follows the same kind of frame as that of the original Thor--minus the fact that this time around Jane Foster spends much more of her time in Asgard as opposed to Earth. In fact, that trailer for the film is rather misleading. While Earth is certainly in danger at points, there is no kind of widespread panic that audiences are exposed to--despite a huge alien ship landing just outside of London, England.

***END SPOILER***

"Thor: The Dark World" should be celebrated for what it has accomplished. It may not be the greatest of films, but it certainly sets itself apart in that it truly feels as if the audience has been thrown into one of Stan Lee's classic Marvel comic books. On a scale of "Iron Man 2" to "The Avengers", this film scores much like Marvel's most recent release: "Iron Man 3." In the end, the film lacks the classic moments to make it a great movie, but it is certainly an entertaining flick that audiences should flock to.

Rating: 7/10

Beyond: Two Souls and a lesson in game expectations

2013-11-03T13:01:00.000-08:00

When I picked up a copy of Beyond: Two Souls I believed I was picking up a GOTY candidate. Based on the concepts, graphics, and celebrity personalities involved in the game I figured the resources spent on the project would result in one of the better games of the past ten years. What I got was a game that failed to find its identity and took on a bipolar personality. Parts of the game feel like classic video game moments whereas other moments feel bland, boring, or even worthless. What this creates is a game that is impossible to put down, yet impossible to feel satisfied with.

Story

Over the course of video game history, the industry has produced a wide range of stories. Some games capture their stories well as they properly utilize themes to draw users in emotionally. Creating emotional attachment to video game characters is something that is very hard to pull off--and few games do it well. When this attachment is successful, we are introduced to characters like Tidus from Final Fantasy X. When it isn't, games fall apart at the seams. In Beyond: Two Souls, it is nearly impossible to not feel an emotional attachment to Jodie and her counterpart Aiden--a paranormal being who has been attached to her since birth. Jodie's life is defined by her personal struggle of being "different" as many of us often feel. Due to Aiden's presence in Jodie's life, Jodie is mocked, ridiculed, and even used for scientific experiments and military operations. The struggle in Jodie's life is constant in every scene as she struggles to build relationships and control her emotions throughout the game. She is often distant, angry, and even confused by why she can never be like other "normal" girls.

Without spoiling the story too much, I'll say that the game is often defined by its darker moments. For example, Jodie--based on the decisions you make in the game--is sexually assaulted multiple times only to be saved by Aiden. Most of these dark moments occur when Jodie attempts to take control of her own life and separate herself from Aiden--though sometimes they occur when she attempts to take revenge on the individuals that have betrayed or used her. The story does carry its positive moments, but the deepest connections are made in the moments where Jodie is at her breaking point--which she reaches multiple times. We all feel lost and alone at times in life, and Jodie provides an avenue that we can connect with.

Game play

The game play in Beyond: Two Souls is what gives the game its bipolar feel. The structure of the game follows that of games like Fable and Mass Effect. Decisions can be made by the user to create or guide Jodie's personality--and in this game the decisions are DARK. This model is great for games with a great story, so the pairing of the game play and the story is great. However, the model for in-scene decisions and actions is pretty terrible. Buttons appear on the screen that lead to actions. The consequence for failing these actions is "oh well, try again immediately." This model--at least in my experience--created a situation where the user could never fail. No matter how good or bad your decisions were--or how good or bad your reaction time is--the game and story press on.

A form of media where you follow a story with characters and your actions don't matter is called a movie, not a video game. While the story was enough to keep pressing on, the game play was boring and incredibly frustrating, because there is never a sense of being challenged. The environment interaction--especially on CIA missions--is fun and makes for a good time, but without the possibility for failure there is little sense of enjoyment in actually beating the game. Completing the game feels like the end of a really good movie rather than beating a classic video game. This is enough of a flaw to automatically take the game out of Game of the Year running on its own.

Conclusion

While the story and graphics in this game are stellar, the lack of any difficulty in game play really puts a damper on the experience. I wanted so badly for this to be a GOTY candidate--and at the beginning of 2013 I pegged this as my GOTY pick--but it just wasn't. The connection that is made between the user and Jodie/Aiden is very strong, and it's hard not to be touched by many of the moments in the game. However, video games need to come with a sense of difficulty to be good, let alone great.

Game Score: 6/10

Movie Review: Ender's Game

2013-11-02T09:07:00.001-07:00

We had a good stretch there, with Prisoner, Rush, and Captain Phillips, but I'm afraid the ride is over. Ender's Game is not good. The book is fantastic, and I would highly recommend it (buy a used copy, Orson Scott Card doesn't deserve your money), but the movie isn't just a poor adaptation; it sucks.

Ender is a genius child who is selected to attend military school with the hope of him developing into the next Caesar, humanity's greatest commander and best hope against the Formics (you'll know them as 'buggers' in the books), an alien race that was previously defeated in an assault on earth, and that could return at any time. Presumably.

Story: 2/5 - I can't support this adaptation based on the pacing. Having to condense a novel is not an excuse; if it can't be done, don't do the movie. Alternatively, Peter Jackson seems to be doing just fine. We absolutely fly through the book, hitting a few highlights, and hey, Ender is at the climax of the film. Also, don't expect to find out why we call him Ender or the significance of the nickname, he's just Andrew Ender Wiggin. Worse, a number of the scenes that were adapted from the novel were turned on their head and stripped of significance. In one fight scene, where Ender reveals part of his character by being particularly violent in the novel, in the movie the opponent just kind of falls and dies, so Ender's emotional turmoil is kind of meaningless.

Writing: 1/5 - You can't just take portions of the dialogue from the book, there have to be changes; especially because the book is so sparse on dialogue. Nothing is original or creative, there are no jokes, and everything is so ham-handed. Don't have each character tell me what they're feeling.

Acting: 3/5 - I really wanted to give this a 1/5. Asa Butterfield (Ender) is hot and cold, and Harrison Ford (mentor Colonel Graff (by the way, the relationship between Ender and Graff is totally ignored)) is bordering on senility. Does he need the money this badly? Still, both Butterfield and Ford showed their chops at some points in the movie, and I look forward to Butterfield's career, and hope that Ford can get one more decent role. Hailee Standield (True Grit) is only a minor character, but we already know how good she is.

Aesthetics: 2/5 - There are a few neat shots, but everything is brief, with insufficient setup. These scenes are sprawling and confusing, and the way they are shot makes them impossibly devoid of connection or suspense.

The highlight of the movie, by the way, is a confrontation between Graff and Ender in which you can clearly see a large crumb or smudge of something on Harrison Ford's lip. I can't believe a film gets made with this little attention.

Final Score: 40%

Film Review: Captain Phillips

2013-10-27T15:05:00.001-07:00

To start, I will put it plainly: Captain Phillips is a very good movie; but not a great one. The film has generated Oscar buzz, not entirely undeserved, and it has something close to a 100% rating on RottenTomatoes, but the film is quite one-dimensional and if it weren't for one actor and a couple of scenes, the movie would be entirely forgettable.

Tom Hanks is merchant Captain Richard Phillips, the real-life hero of the 2009 Maersk Alabama hijaking. That's really all you need to know about the plot.

Story: 4/5 - The story was good, and according to Richard Phillips himself, very accurate. The film suffers a couple of drawbacks: due to the nature of the tale, we have to jump right in, with very little setup. Director Paul Greengrass (Bourne series, United 93) does a good job of giving us everything we need (here's Captain Phillips wiping his shoes before entering the ship, here he is inspecting the boarding cages, here he is accosting his crew for taking too long on coffee break, here are some Somali pirate headlines) before jumping in head first. The other drawback is that we know how the story ends. I won't take that away from the filmmakers, but this is where we can get creative with the narrative, and writer Billy Ray (The Hunger Games) doesn't even really try.

Writing: 5/5 - The writing was entirely natural, and really serves to put you in the movie. This is what these people would say. This is a movie that leans hard on one actor, but nobody in the cast is left out to dry with this script. Even when Hanks is daring enough to talk to the pirates (and when you think, 'Why would anybody be talking?!'), he does so cautiously, with believable comments. It's very immersive, and frankly refreshing.

Acting: 5/5 - Tom Hanks absolutely deserves an Academy Award for this role. As the film wound down, I found myself underwhelmed and disappointed after all of the reviews. The payoff comes after Hanks is rescued and is being evaluated by doctors. I don't think I've ever seen utter shock conveyed so well on-screen. The last movie I saw before this was Escape Plan, in which approximately 2000 men were killed. As a result, it can be difficult to make us care when a couple of pirates are shot. In this day and age of cinema, you almost expect Hanks to do a fist pump and utter a quip. But his reaction in the last ten minutes of the movie really makes you believe that he has been through a harrowing ordeal that should not be made light. Some of the pirates are generating Oscar talk, but I didn't consider anybody but Hanks deserving of mention.

Aesthetics: 3/5 - Where was Oliver Wood? Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd had a few shining moments, but I felt oddly free and un-claustrophobic for a movie that takes place either in the halls of a ship or in an enclosed lifeboat.

Final Score: 85%

Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire: History of Westeros-Part 5: The War of Conquest

2013-10-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

Aegon Targaryen landed on a hill in -2 AL. He came with his two sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, their three dragons, Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar, and less than 1600 men to the mouth of Blackwater Rush. Aegon had chosen to come to Westeros rather than answer a call from the Free Cities of Essos. After the Doom of Valyria, the Free Cities fell into years of blood and war, and Aegon rejected their plea for his help in uniting them into a new freehold. At the time of Aegon’s landing, Westeros was still divided into the Seven Kingdoms. The rulers of each kingdom were:

Torrhen Stark, King in the North
Ronnel Arryn, King of the Vale, a boy of six
Harren Hoare, King of the Iron Islands and Riverlands
Loren I Lannister, King of the Westerlands
Mern IX Gardner, King of the Reach
Argilac Durrendon, King of the Stormlands
Mariya Martell, Princess of Dorne

Rhaenys, Aegon, and Visenya

Argilac Durrendon was the first to attempt peace with Aegon. Before the war even began, Harren Hoare finished construction on his huge keep, Harrenhal. Argilac had heard of Harren’s hopes of bigger conquests, so he sent an alliance offer to Aegon in order to create a buffer zone between himself and Harren. Argilac offered his daughter Argella’s hand in marriage and dowry lands, which actually belonged to Harren. Aegon declined Argilac’s offer, but made a counter-offer: Argella would marry Aegon’s best friend and rumored bastard brother, Orys Baratheon. Argilac was insulted and cut off the hands of Aegon’s messenger. The hands were sent back with a note, informing Aegon that these hands were the only ones he would be receiving. This act prompted Aegon to move quicker than expected; he called his banners and his sisters and sent ravens to all the great kings of Westeros. These ravens bore the message, “There will only be one king.” If they bent the knee, they would get to keep their lands and titles. If they did not, they would be destroyed.

Since Ronnel Arryn was only 6 years old, his mother Sharra Arryn acted as Queen Regent. Sharra was the next to attempt to negotiate with Aegon, offering her own hand in marriage and an alliance if Aegon made Ronnel his heir. Mariya Martell offered an alliance against Argilac, but she would not swear fealty to Aegon. Both offers were rejected. Before invading, Aegon allegedly visited the largest keeps of Westeros, investigating their strengths and their lords and kings. He then built the Painted Table, a table cut in the shape of Westeros. He considered the Seven Kingdoms to be one land split into different regions, rather than seven regions on the same land.

Beachhead

The Targaryens landed on three hills at the mouth of Blackwater Rush. On the highest point of the highest hill, Aegon built a wooden fort, to act as his first claim to Westeros. Visenya gave him as crown and Rhaenys hailed him as the true king. The two sisters were then sent on their dragons to subdue the local lords. Rhaenys took Rosby without any bloodshed, as did Visenya with Stokeworth. Duskendale and Maidenpool attempted to fight back, but were easily beaten. Aegon had conquered the area where King’s Landing now stands.

Battle of Gulltown

Daemon Velaryon took Aegon’s fleet to Gulltown, quickly followed by Visenya, riding upon Vhagar. The Arryn fleet came out from Gulltown and defeated the Targaryen fleet, killing Lord Daemon in the process. Vhagar then burned the Arryn fleet in response, so although the Targaryens lost the battle, they were able to destroy a part of the Vale’s strength. The Sistermen of the Three Sisters, a group of small isles at the top of the Vale, revolted against the Eyrie out of anger of the destroyed fleet.

Conquest of the Riverlands and Iron Islands

Harren Hoare ruled both the Iron Islands and Riverlands from Harrenhal, on the mainland of Westeros, slightly south of the Vale. Harrenhal was the greatest keep that Westeros had ever known,

Fall of Harrenhal

considered impregnable to siege or storm. But not to dragons. Harren refused to surrender to Aegon and he and his sons hid inside Kingspyre Tower. Aegon rode Balerion through Harrenhal’s defenses and burned Harren and his sons alive inside the tower, earning it it’s name. The remaining ironborn fled the burned castle and raced back to the Iron Islands, with Aegon trailing them. The Riverlords had sworn fealty to Aegon when Harrenhal was ruined and helped him trail the ironborn. Lord Vickon Greyjoy of Pyke was elected as their leader and Aegon demanded their fealty. This made the Tullys and Greyjoys the first major houses to bend the knee to Aegon. The Tullys were made overlords of the Riverlands because of this and the rest of the Riverlords had to swear fealty to them.

The Submission of Crackclaw Point

Visenya Targaryen was sent to Crackclaw Point after Harren Hoare’s death to demand fealty from their lords. The lords knew they had no chance, so they yielded upon VIsenya’s arrival. She took them as their own men and promised they would not owe any fealty but to the Iron Throne. Crackclaw Point became a direct vassal of the Targaryens without any fighting and have been known as some of the biggest Targaryen loyalists since.

The Last Storm

Aegon sent Orys Baratheon and Rhaenys riding Meraxes to attack Storm’s End. Argilac’s men were still loyal despite the stories they had heard about what Aegon did at Harrenhal. Argilac brought his army forth to meet Orys’, refusing to meet the same fate as Harren Hoare. Rhaenys tracked Argilac’s movements through a huge storm, the storm that gave the battle its name. The mud created by the storm slowed Argilac’s men and broke out only to come face to face with Rhaenys and Meraxes. In

Orys and Argella

the confusion and terror, Argilac fell from his horse and met Orys in single combat. Both men came out wounded, but only Orys survived. Argilac’s death ended the battle and his daughter Argella barred Storm’s End, declaring herself Storm Queen. Her army revolted, afraid of facing the same fate of the men at Harrenhal. Argella was delivered to Orys, chained and naked. Orys gave her food and his cloak, removing the chains gently. Orys then married Argella and took House Durrendon’s sigil and words as his own. House Baratheon was then formed and made Lord Paramount of the Storm Lands.

Field of Fire

King Loren of the Westerlands and King Mern of the Reach decided that their best chance against Aegon was to join forces. The two kings had a total of around 55,000 men, 5000 of them mounted knights, while Aegon had only a fifth of that number. The two armies met in a dry field in the Reach, with Jon Mooton of Maidenpool commanding the Targaryen host. The Reachmen and Westermen charged and began to break the Targaryen lines. For the first and only time, all three Targaryen dragons battled together. Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar all took to the air and set the field on fire. Jon Mooton moved upwind and the fires raged downwind. The Targaryens only lost 100 men, but Visenya took an arrow the shoulder. Mooton directed the Targaryen host away from the flaming field while the allied forces burned alive. Four thousand allied men died, including King Mern. House Gardner was ended and Aegon won another victory. Loren gave up his claim and became Warden of the West under Aegon. Harlen Tyrell surrendered Mern’s host to Aegon and was rewarded by becoming Lord of Highgarden and Warden of the South, as House Tyrell now had dominion over the Reach.

Conquest of the North

Torrhen Stark marched a host south toward the Riverlands, meeting Aegon along the Trident. All of Aegon’s force was there, as well as the three dragons. Originally, Torrhen had intended to fight Aegon, but realized that would be a huge mistake upon seeing what Aegon had brought with him. Torrhen bent the knee and Aegon named him Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell. An inn was built on the site of Torrhen’s submission, named the Inn of the Kneeling Man.

Conquest of the Vale

Sharra Arryn sent a huge army to the Bloody Gate in her Son, Ronnel’s, name. Visenya simply rode Vhagar into the courtyard of the Eyrie. Ronnel begged her for a ride on the dragon and his mother found him outside on Vhagar’s back. Sharra acknowledged Aegon as king and Ronnel got his ride. So basically, the Vale wimped out and submitted with no fighting.

Battle with Dorne

Dorne was not one of the Seven Kingdoms, but Aegon sent Rhaenys to invade them anyway, in hopes of uniting everyone. The Dornishmen had learned of the mistakes on the Field of Fire and at Harrenhal, so instead of giving Aegon open battle, they cut and engaged in guerilla warfare while Rhaenys came through the Red Mountains. The Dornishmen stayed on the move so the dragons could not find them. Rhaenys could only capture empty castles, so she flew straight to Sunspear, the Dornish capital. Princess Mariya refused to surrender and told Rhaenys that she was not wanted in Dorne and should return at her peril. Rhaenys replied that she would return with fire and blood. Mariya then recited her house’s words: “Unbowed. Unbent. Unbroken.” Rhaenys returned to Aegon, who decided that the country could not be taken and Dorne should remain an independent nation.

Conquest of Oldtown

The High Septon in Oldtown prayed for seven days and seven nights in the Starry Sept upon hearing of Aegon’s landing. The Crone showed him that opposition to the Targaryens would end with Oldtown aflame in dragon fire. Lord Hightower of Oldtown left his force in the city when Aegon came and the gates were opened freely. The High Septon anointed Aegon as the King of Westeros.

Aegon began to build a new castle near his landing spot, the Red Keep. It was built in the new capital city of King’s Landing. Aegon melted all the swords of his opposers into an throne, the Iron Throne. Aegon devoted the rest of his life and reign to the consolidation of the realm.

The Red Keep on Aegon's High Hill

Pokemon X/Y is/are candidates for Game of the Year

2013-10-19T16:01:00.002-07:00

Since the middle of the 1990's, Game Freak and Nintendo have been bringing the Pokemon franchise to adventurous gamers around the world. While their work has extended into things such as Pokemon Snap, Pokemon Coliseum and even hit movies, the core of the franchise has been their line of handheld games. In the beginning--and I'm sure we all remember--you roam the Kanto region with your trusty Bulbasaur/Charmander/Squirtle/Pikachu as you level up Pokemon, defeat Team Rocket, and collect the region's eight gym badges as you pursue victory over the Elite Four and the region's Champion.

A lot has changed since that original version--including the games evolving into an international competition that requires heavy investment and strategy beyond the main story line. While many positive--and admittedly negative--aspects have been added to the franchise in what is now nearly two decades, the games between the first and fifth generations remained unchanged enough to have the same general feel. They feature poor graphics, two-dimensional movement, and images of Pokemon that would produce lazily-developed attacks.

With the sixth generation, the franchise all but hit the reset button as it undertook its own evolution.

Introducing Pokemon X/Y

The first and most obvious change here is the change in the way the games are titled. For the first time since the original Red and Green were released in Japan, the franchise abandoned colors to use for names--and yes Pearl, Diamond, and Platinum are colors. As insignificant as this may seem, the change in title scheme matches how drastically the games have changed.

Environment/Graphics

Welcome to the third dimension, Pokemon. Since the games are on the Nintendo 3DS--an investment I suggest if you are a big fan of gaming--the franchise made the obvious move to introduce a third dimension to all aspects of the game. Buildings and landscape have been in 3D--thanks to shadowing--for a while, but now they have more depth, and you can physically see the back sides of some buildings. More importantly the game has added another dimension to movement--so no more strict x/y coordinate movement--and a third dimension was added to Pokemon battles and moves as seen in the video below:

The Three Starters

Outside of the Legendary Pokemon, each generation is most easily defined by its starters--like Cyndaquil, Chikorita, and Totodile from the 2nd generation.

The starters--listed from left right--are Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie. If you're new to the series and reading this out of interest, the types are grass, fire, and water--obvious to anyone who has played the series before. In their most basic forms, these are somewhat creative--especially Chespin as it is the first non-reptilian/alien grass starter. While a fire fox (Vulpix) has been done before, Fennekin brings a refreshing look to fire types--which have been getting increasingly negative reviews since the days of Torchic in the 3rd generation. Froakie comes across as perhaps the most intriguing option--especially since a frog waited behind a turtle, alligator, swamp alien, penguin, and otter to be the base for a water starter. At first glance, these starters are great.

***SPOILER ALERT: NEXT PARAGRAPH COVERS FURTHER EVOLUTIONARY STAGES***

Where this group of starters is made/broken is in their latter stages of evolution. I'll start with the one I first chose: Froakie.

Froakie's Evolutionary Path

The first two stages of Froakie's evolutionary path are fairly simple: a water frog that goes from small to slightly bigger and more menacing. The type doesn't change from first to second stage, and the moves are pretty typical--basic offensive water moves paired in with random stat boosters/diminishers. Where Froakie's evolutionary path becomes frustratingly annoying is in the last stage: Greninja. As a concept, Greninja is fascinating--a ninja frog sounds like a great concept for Pokemon--especially on the basis of moves unique to the Pokemon. Outside of a rapid, multi-hit move known as Water Shuriken Greninja's base of moves is very lackluster. Frogardier--the second stage--gains the dark type when it evolves into Greninja and gains very little from it. Greninja learns moves you might expect from a ninja-based Pokemon: substitute, double-team, haze, etc. While these moves are interesting and useful in strategy, none of them are powerful enough outside of the standard Hydro Pump--and maybe night slash which it doesn't learn until level 70.

Fennekin's Evolutionary Path

If you think Fennekin will follow the same kind of standard path that Vulpix followed in the first generation, you are dead wrong. The creators were more creative when they had Fennekin's second stage--Braixen--evolve into a Fire/Psychic type--Delphox. With the introduction of a wand in the second stage, this evolutionary chain is fun to use in combat. Better yet, Fire/Psychic is a very unique paring in the realm of Pokemon. With moves like Psychic, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, and Sunny Day Delphox is a powerhouse when it comes to special attacks. The only problem with Fennekin is that fire types are not uncommon in this generation--in fact they are frequent early on. Picking Fennekin as a starter makes building a more well-balanced party more difficult.

Chespin's Evolutionary Path

Chespin is the best starter to start out with and here's why: grass types are few and far between in this generation--at least in terms of new Pokemon added in the sixth generation. However, that's not just what makes Chespin great. Chespin's third evolutionary stage--Chesnaught--learns some of the strongest moves in the game: Body Slam, Woodhammer, Hammer Arm, and Giga Impact. It also learns strategy-based moves such as Pain Split and Spiky Shield that make it a terror to deal with in battle. Chesnaught's only problem is that Hammer Arm is the only fighting move it learns--which comes with the downside of lowering the user's speed. As a result, the type addition to Chesnaught becomes nothing but a negative until level 60.

A splendid surprise

**SPOILER ALERT***

One of the best aspects of Pokemon X/Y is that the game turns back to its original roots in that it is littered with throwbacks to the first generation of the game. The first of which comes just about an hour into the game when you fight the Pokemon Professor. His party includes a Bulbasaur, a Charmander, and a Squirtle. After you win the battle--which you might not if you haven't done a good job of adding Pokemon--you get to choose to take one of the three along with you! This basically makes it so you have two starters: one from the sixth generation and one from the first generation. The game also has many more throwbacks--a Snorlax blocking a route, the ability to extract an Aerodactyl from an Old Amber, etc--and these keep things increasingly interesting and fresh.

***END SPOILER***

Party Selection

Another A+ move from the creators of this game is that the Pokedex is far more expansive than it has been in other games. There are Pokemon from all six generations present, and it's really easy to assemble a party that is exceptional for use. While there are many different combinations, I'll introduce you to the combination that I found to be best for use on my second play through.

X/Y Gen Starter: Chespin
1st Gen Starter: Squirtle

I mentioned before that grass types are rare, but good water types aren't exactly common, either. To me that makes the decision to pick these two really easy, but I digress. Since you already know these two, here's the rest of the party I developed:

Fletchling/Fletchinder/Talonflame

Meet Fletchinder, the Kalos region's most common bird Pokemon--other than Pidgey, of course. Fletchinder is a great addition to a party because it evolves into a Flying/Fire combination of destruction and death. Fletchinder's third evolutionary stage is Talonflame, a Pokemon based in speed and attack that learns moves such as Steel Wing, Flame Charge, and Brave Bird.

Scatterbug/Spewpa/Vivillon

I linked to the third evolutionary stage because--like with most bug Pokemon--evolution occurs at early stages and a huge portion of the Pokemon's levels happen when it is Vivillon. Usually I stay away from bug Pokemon, but I figured I'd give Scatterbug a shot. I was glad I did, and you probably will be, too. Armed with Bug Buzz and Hurricane in its later stages, it is a powerful and unexpected addition--after all, the game still isn't good at preparing for the user to use bug Pokemon.

Tyrunt/Tyrantrum

After waiting years, we finally get a Pokemon based on the dinosaur many of us associate with...well....dinosaurs! Tyrunt and its later evolution Tyrantrum are based on Tyrannosaurus Rex--the dino that has been most prevalent in Western society's cinema. As a Rock/Dragon type, Tyrantrum poses a big problem, especially when it learns Head Smash, Rock Slide, and Giga Impact at later levels.

And for now I'll break, as the last Pokemon in my ideal party will be discussed later. For now, let's get back to some of the new traits in the game.

Mega Evolution

At long last, a fourth evolutionary stage has been brought to the Pokemon franchise. Actually--if I'm brutally honest--it isn't really another evolutionary stage. First off, you have to have a special ring and stone to make a particular Pokemon Mega Evolve. Second, the evolution only happens in battles and is more like a power up. Essentially, Pokemon can now go "beast mode" for a short time in battle--which serves as an easy way to zip through tough battles later in the game. If you wish, you can look up some of the Mega Evolutions online--and as a reference, all three first-generation starters can mega evolve in their last stages of evolution.

Fairy Types

Introducing the Pokemon type that has officially turned the game on its own head. Like chess, the types--pieces--have been established in Pokemon for a while. After dark and steel were introduced in the second generation, the only major change in battle strategy was interesting combinations--like Spiritomb, a dark/ghost combo that has no weaknesses. As a result, Dragon types reigned supreme as their only weaknesses--ice and other dragons--were extremely uncommon. Fairy types--quite frankly--don't give a shit about Dragon types and have changed battles forever. Imagine this:

Meet Flabebe--an accent on each "e"--the first Fairy type you meet. This Pokemon has a few unique traits when it comes to battle. Most noticeably, it has only two weaknesses--Poison and Steel--both rare. More significantly, Dragon types are WORTHLESS against Flabebe as Dragon moves have to effect on Fairy types. In the meantime, Flabebe is also resistant to Bug, Fighting, and Dark types. When a Fairy move is used, it is super effective against Fighting, Dragon, and Dark types--though it is weak against Fire, Poison, and Steel. So there you go--Fairy types have dynamically changed the game.

*Note: as a result, Poison types are that much better and Dragon types are not as rare or powerful.

Legendary Pokemon

Xerneaus and Yveltal are the two legendary Pokemon from this generation. The former is a Fairy type and the latter is Dark/Flying. Both are powerful, but only one actually impacted how I chose/played the games. I chose Pokemon X because Xerneaus is a beast and is a Fairy type. Its weaknesses are rare, it learns a vast array of attacks, and it looks really cool--if you ask me. Quite honestly, Yvetlal is a very disappointing legendary Pokemon, but Xerneaus makes up for it by being in line with the originals.

Speaking of which, Mewtwo is back and can Mega Evolve into different forms based on the version of the game you pick. The only other legendary--other than the traveling Legendary birds from the first generation--is Zygarde, which is a hopelessly ugly Pokemon with no real appeal to me personally.

Story

No spoilers here, because I don't want to get too in depth with the story as I think everyone should experience it on their own. All I'll say is that it's the deepest story any Pokemon game has seen, and it actually adds juuuuuuust enough to the experience to make it matter--something not necessarily true with other games. The ending feels a lot like the third generation--which is a good thing.

Conclusion

I really am not kidding when I say that these games are GOTY candidates. This generation has evolved an old franchise so much that it's almost like the franchise is starting over. Most of the Pokemon through history are present, things like Exp. Share make the beginning of the game go much faster--which means more time spent with cool moves at higher levels--and the addition of Fairy types makes combat much more complex. Add in the third dimension to game play and picking up one of these games is a real no-brainer. Whether you haven't played since the first generation or just finished White 2 and Black 2, this is something worth picking up.

Now hopefully they do the right thing and use this model to remake the 3rd Generation.

Movie Review: Rush

2013-10-19T12:47:00.001-07:00

Rush has earned good reviews, and it is one of the better movies of the year. I was still surprised, however, at how great of a film it actually was. Ron Howard is a master filmmaker, and for some reason I need constant reminders of this. After Apollo 13, Frost/Nixon, A Beautiful Mind, and Cinderella Man you would think I'd get the point, but I have no problem saying that Rush is every bit as good as any of his previous films.

The movie is about Formula 1 racers James Hunt, Niki Lauda, and their rivalry, which climaxed in the 1976 season. Now, I don't know anything about F1, or particularly care about the sport, but this is not a sports movie, it is a movie - you don't need to know how the Millennium Falcon works to enjoy Star Wars.

Story: 4/5 - Every time during the movie where I felt something was going wrong, the film would correct itself immediately. If the pace was derailed, it was because something needed to be addressed. If I thought they were getting away from the relationship between Hunt and Lauda, they would have another interaction. The film built relentlessly to a crescendo, and the payoff was very sweet. It reminded me a bit of Walk the Line in the way that it managed to balance the fascinating professional lives of the star characters with their necessary and revealing personal lives. A couple of small qualms: the filmmakers could have at some point explained how the points system worked, or at least how each driver had to place going into the last race. I found myself wondering up until they explained it shortly before the winner was announced. Also, it would have been nice if the other drivers were more present. There are a few scenes with other drivers, but only Lauda's teammate Clay Regazzoni got more than a throwaway line.

Writing: 4/5 - The writing was simple but effective, and felt very organic - you could see these people reacting in the way they all did, saying the things they did. Each line of dialogue had a purpose, and they contributed masterfully to the construction of the characters.

Acting: 5/5 - The casting for this movie was absolutely perfect. Chris Hemsworth, always fun, is the freewheeling, reckless Hunt, and pulls off the handsome, charismatic superstar athlete. Daniel Bruhl is the star of the film as Lauda, the arrogant, brilliant misanthrope with a permanent chip on his shoulder. There isn't any awards buzz about him, but of the films I've seen in 2013, I would probably give him the Oscar. Even supporting actors like Olivia Wilde (Hunt's sultry, distant wife, Suzy Miller) pull their weight and create a full world of characters. The only problem with Hemsworth was his intensity as the film ramps up. He's an excellent playboy, but only a solid inspired man.

Aesthetics: 5/5 - I talk all the time about cinematographer Roger Deakins, and extolled his work in Prisoners last weekend, but he is outdone by Oscar-winning Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, Dredd) here. The shots are creative, powerful, and immersive. The sound engineers and editors did a great job of putting everything together as well. It's not an art show like Deakins puts on, but it is gritty, aggressive, and it results in pure spectacle.

Final Score: 90%

Movie Review: Prisoners

2013-10-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

I will start by saying that Prisoners is one of the better thrillers I've seen in recent years - maybe since Michael Caine's Sleuth. It should also be noted that while this movie definitely succeeds as a thriller, it does not succeed as much as a film.

Hugh Jackman is one of two fathers who lose their daughters, when they were allowed to play outside after Thanksgiving dinner. Jackman eventually abducts a local simpleton (Paul Dano) who he suspects is involved, and is forced into a very trying situation. Meanwhile, Jake Gyllenhaal is the lead detective on the case, who must deal with both the girls' kidnapping, and Jackman's behaviour.

Plot: 4/5 - This movie succeeds as a thriller because the story is fantastic. It is easy to identify with each one of the characters, and understand everybody's motive. The issues were all too real, making the film almost uncomfortable to watch, but the plot was thick and engaging. The pacing was not an issue, but the eventual runtime (2.5 hours) may be a turnoff for some. I was aware of the passing time while watching the movie, but writer Aaron Guzikowski and director Denis Villenueve needed it all to tell the story they did. We get to see the characters make tough choices, and the overlying theme (we are all prisoners, everybody is forced into equally horrible situations) was none too heavy-handed.

Writing: 3/5 - This, to me, was probably the main weak point of the film. There is not a single laugh in the movie - and this is not to say that there should be (it is about an abduction), but rather that there are no real highs or lows - the tone stays much the same throughout, and the dialogue is very predictable: "Shut up! Shut up!" "Where the fuck is she?!" I only gave this a 3 because the dialogue was believable - I can see real people saying these things - and not really corny, but it doesn't really add to the film.

Acting: 4/5 - I'm on the record as an enormous Hugh Jackman fan. I don't think he's the best actor working, but he is very good, and he is a born entertainer (watch Real Steel). Everything he does is worth watching (except Australia). Paul Dano, also, is a favourite of mine. Nobody does pitiable better than he, and he is at his pitiable best in Prisoners. For much of the movie, it is the suspected child killer that you feel most sorry for.

Aesthetics: 3/5 - I started to write that the camerawork was very good, then decided to check on who was the cinematographer. Of course, it was Roger Deakins, probably the greatest cinematographer who ever lived. The dark tones and close shots will keep you queasy for the entire movie, and he does a masterful job of setting the tone in each scene, and throughout the movie. You can actually watch a Deakins movie for the sheer visual spectacle. The music went with the film very well, too. Master of minimalism Johann Johansson put together the perfect score - consisting basically of silence and low, flat tones that make what is happening on the screen absolutely riveting. I was not a fan of the editing - some of the sound effects sounded silly, there were too many fade-to-black scene endings (read: every scene), but it was OK.

Final Score: 70%

A Monthly Dose of Westeros-Part 5: Daenerys Targaryen

2013-10-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

Two of the most interesting pieces of season four casting news were revealed recently, and since both have ties to Daenerys Targaryen's storyline, I thought this would be a good time to preview her. Everybody's favorite khaleesi is still in Essos after three seasons. She and her dragons have been conquering the cities in Slaver's Bay, while building an army of fearless warriors that will be used to conquer Westeros...eventually. Dany has been accompanied by Ser Jorah Mormont this whole time and recently added to her entourage discarded Kingsguard member Barristan Selmy, sellsword captain Daario Naharis, and Unsullied captain Grey Worm. Jorah, Daario and Grey Worm do make a pretty dang good team, so Dany is in good hands.

Daenerys' storyline in A Storm of Swords is pretty much finished in the show at this point, and if you're expecting her to invade Westeros...stop. She isn't going this season so don't get your hopes up. There will be more conquering, more fighting, and more stupid Dany. Jorah, Barristan, and Daario do have some pretty interesting moments coming up (especially Jorah), but Dany will pretty much keep doing the same thing. A large group of characters from Westeros will be making their way to Essos to see Dany though, resulting in what George R.R. Martin called the Meereenese Knot, but they still have some story left to go through. Which brings me to my next point...

Hizdahr zo Loraq has been cast. Hizdahr is a very important character in Dany's Meereen plot, but that piece of her story does not begin until much later in the books than the point the show is it. It seems like the writers are moving Daenerys along pretty fast, faster than some other characters who need to meet up with her, so I don't really get the fast pace for her. Joel Fry will play Hizdahr and, while I don't know anything about his talents, he looks almost exactly how I pictured Hizdahr while reading. So at least the show runners got looks right this time...

...which brings me to the last piece of news. Daario Naharis has been recast.

Yes, Ed Skrein is being replaced as Daario. The role will be taken over by Michiel Huisman. I know for a fact that Huisman is a tremendous actor, but he looks nothing like Skrein and even less like a Daario. Skrein caught some flack for his portrayal of Daario, as some thought he was too white-washed and plain. Book-Daario had blue hair and three-pronged blue beard. Show-Daario was this:

Ed Skrein as Daario Naharis; Michiel Huisman in Treme

Huisman looks farther from my image of Daario than Skrein did, but I really enjoyed Skrein's Daario. I looked at the first photos of the new Daario while in class and the person next to me leaned over and we agreed that he looked more like a hobo than a warrior captain.

Huisman dressed(?) as Daario via ComicBookMovie.com

Anyway, I'm sure Huisman's acting will be great even if he doesn't have the Daario look. But other than that, expect nothing too huge to come out of Daenerys' story this season, although Jorah will have a few special moments. Dany has been a major character in the show thus far, but hopefully she takes a backseat to some of the more important events happening in Westeros this season.

Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire: History of Westeros-Part 4: The Seven Kingdoms

2013-09-24T19:38:00.003-07:00

After the coming of the Andals, Westeros was split into the Seven Kingdoms. These kingdoms are simple regions today, all united under one throne, but there were seven kings in the Seven Kingdoms around -3000 AL. For the most part, the Seven Kingdoms had a peaceful existence. There was not as much in-fighting as today and very few threats from outside as well. The biggest one came during the initial split into Seven Kingdoms. The Free Folk, or wildlings, decided to unite under the Kings-beyond-the-Wall, Gendel and Gorne, to invade Westeros. Instead of going through or over the wall, an insanely huge band of wildlings broke into Westeros through an elaborate series of underground tunnels. The huge invasion looked promising, but was quickly met by the King in the North of House Stark and sent back beyond the Wall.

Meanwhile in Essos…

Around -700 AL, after their invasion of Old Ghis, the Valyrians began moving along the giant River Rhoyne and destroying the Rhoynish cities. Prince Garin the Great rose a 250,000 man army to attempt to stop the Valyrians, but got crushed by the force of their dragons. The Rhoynish warrior-queen, Nymeria, began to evacuate the survivors of the takeovers on 10,000 ships across the Narrow Sea. Most of the passengers were women and children. They traveled across the sea to Dorne, seeking refuge in southern Westeros. Nymeria created a marriage alliance with Mors Martell. The two finally organized the land into one kingdom, allowing House Dorne to rise as the rulers. Mors began to adopt Dornish culture, but the unification of Dorne caused problems with the kingdoms of the Reach and Storm’s End. There were many small raids and wars between these powers during this time.

Back to Westeros…

While Dorne was causing problems in the South, the houses of the North had been battling each other. For over 2000 years, House Stark and House Bolton had been fighting for control of the region. House Stark finally subdued the Boltons around -700 AL and took full control of the North. Meanwhile, Karlon Stark battled raiders from the east and split off from House Stark, forming his own house of Karstark. In the west, the Ironborn of the Iron Islands rose to power. They controlled the majority of the western coast, from Oldtown and the Arbor in the south all the way to Bear Island in the North.

And back to Essos…

Around -500 AL, the Valyrian Freehold conquered the area that now includes the southern Free Cities of Essos. The Moonsingers, a religious group, led thousands of refugees north to a mountainous region, shrouded by mist. They formed the hidden city of Braavos on a lagoon here. Later, the Titan of Braavos was built. The Titan is a huge statue just off the shore that serves as a defensive fortification.

More Westeros…

Around -400 AL, 300 years after being subdued, House Bolton rebelled against the Starks. Four years later, they were put down again and their siege was ended. Around -350 AL, the Storm Kings expanded their territory. At this time, they ruled the Westerlands, then expanded north to take over the Riverlands, up to the Neck. The Ironborn lost most of their lands throughout this time, but not before the Ironborn king Harren Hoare begins building Harrenhal in the Riverlands. After the Storm Kings’ expansion, Westeros remained rather quiet and there was no notable fighting between the Seven Kingdoms

Once more to Essos…

Dragonstone

The Valyrians annexed a small island at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush about -200 AL, called Dragonstone. It was named for the castle built on it, which had a tower shaped to look like dragons. The island was ruled by a little family by the name of Targaryen.

About one hundred years after this, Braavos reveals itself to the rest of the Free Cities. It eventually becomes the most powerful due to its economic power and large fleet. Ghiscari powers started to appear in the south and the cities in Slaver’s Bay became independent. The savage tribes in the middle of the continent grew bolder. The dominant tribe, the Dothraki, began more frequently raiding villages of other tribes and other surrounding areas.

The major event to close out the era before the landing was the Doom of Valyria. The reason that the Targaryens annexed Dragonstone was because Daenys the Dreamer foresaw this doom. She convinced her father to leave Valyria before something bad happened to the family. A huge earthquake hit the capital city and split the land into fragments, creating the Smoking Sea in between them all. The area is described as “demon-haunted” and rarely people will survive a trip there. Many of Valyria’s secrets, such as how to make Valyrian steel and the dragons, were destroyed along with the Freehold. Stories of the Doom state that every hill for 500 mile split open, throwing ash and smoke into the air. Hot fires burst out and engulfed everything, even the dragons. Giants holes opened and sucked palaces and cities into the center of the world. Lakes boiled or turned into acid water, mountains burst and collapsed. Fiery fountains threw molten rock into the sky. Red clouds rained dragonglass and the blood of demons. The northern lands collapsed on itself and allowed the sea to rush in. After the Doom, the Bleeding Years hit Valyria. Valyrian colonies and conquests

ceased to exist and chaos and war began. The Free Cities fell into war with each other and some sellsword companies have their beginnings in the Bleeding Years. The Targaryens on Dragonstone chose to not intervene on this century of blood and war, instead gathering their strength and focusing on a different goal...