so now we move to the last of the 3 things substituted often by video gaming...
keeping score.
clearly, we care about the score being kept correctly - this is evident in gaming culture in MANY ways -
gamerscore (xboxlive)
K/D (kill to death ratio)
trophies (playstation network)
avatar awards (xboxlive)
leaderboards (most games that function on a network)
there are people who will play games JUST to "boost their gamerscore," which is pretty crazy to think about... someone who is willing to spend 10 to 24 hours of their life playing a game ONLY to get some imaginary points that have no bearing on any other aspect of life - they don't even play the game for story, content, or enjoyment, just the score.
some gamers will play through a game JUST to get all the points out of it, even if they've finished the story and have no fun playing anymore, they want to get the 'recognition' that is inherent in 'earning' all the obscure and difficult achievements.
you could actually boil down this obsession with achievements to the concept that we all want someone to keep score for us, to know that we matter.
we all want to earn respect, like i talked about in previous posts, and we want to know that we mean something in the scheme of things.
hear this important truth: YOU MATTER to God the Father, the one who Created you. you are vitally important to Him, and he loves you in ways you can't even understand.
this is connected to another important truth: in Jesus, you have ALL you need - your score has been maxed out, if you will - for life and godliness. (I Peter 1:3)
sometimes these spiritual truths don't resonate with us as much as the easier, practical thought of "if i earn it, i deserve it." certainly, in gaming culture, you earn the weapon upgrades, the perks, and the points necessary to be respected and to matter to the game structure. but what we find scripturally is that, in real life, we don't have to earn the upgrades or strive for respect - in Christ, we have all of that and more.
when thinking about the idea of 'keeping score,' i think of Matthew 5:2-11 - in this teaching, Jesus is pointing out that in the big picture, God is keeping score of the things that might otherwise go unseen. the way we live in response to the gospel of Jesus might not always be flashy, fun, exciting, and money-making, but our response to the gospel is what really matters in the end.
there are two kinds of ways that score is kept for us in our lives, and these are relationships that are more meaningful that the kids we party up with on xbox live or the clan we want to join for WoW -
one way is human accountability - and this is grown by intentional, consistent relationships with other people.
i just posted about command structure, and this is directly tied to accountability. those who are in authority and those who are serving us are also helping keep score for us, encouraging us to accomplish all that God has for us.
think about friendships, too... we find in Ecclesiastes 4:12 that two or three who join together to accomplish something cannot be easily broken down. Paul tells us in Galatians 6:1-3 that there is an expectation for believers to bear each others burdens, to hold each other up when necessary but also to recognize when we should be spurring one another on.
even more significant than human score-keeping, though, is God's scorecard.
I Thess 2:4 reminds us that God tests our hearts. He sees deeper, through our occasional mask, knowing what our motivations really are. and in Hebrews 4:12-13 we are reminded that God's word is powerful as a means of helping us gauge our intentions, and we will ultimately give an account to Him for how we have lived.
that's a pretty heavy statement... we will give an account to God the Creator.
thankfully, Christ will stand with us during that account, but nevertheless we will have to converse with our Creator about how many hours we gamed, how we loved our families, how we lived and talked about the gospel, and how we loved Him on earth.
so ultimately, what we do matters... and therefore, what we DON'T do matters as well. the way that games keep score for us and tell us that our actions have consequences and that we are important... this is only a dim glimpse of the fact that what you do with your LIFE matters... your actions have consequences, and you ARE important - God has given YOU a mission, hasn't He? and he has equipped you for that mission and given you a chain of command to keep score for you and help you accomplish His mission, which is now YOUR mission.
if you have any input or thoughts about the last three posts, please leave a comment or send me a message! i'd love to have some help in developing these ideas so that i can share them again in small group contexts, youth events, etc. but i need your help, kind reader :-)
Friday, July 23, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
substitutes
i definitely hated substitute teachers back in high school - not because of who they were as people, or even that they were subbing in, but they never TAUGHT, in my experience. rather, the substitute just monitored the space, and nothing really significant happened in class. it always felt like a waste of time.
sometimes, we substitute things into our lives that are meant to be space where the Gospel of Jesus teaches and shapes us. and THOSE kinds of substitutes are TRULY a waste of time. instead of finding our true purpose in our life in Christ, we find purpose in pursuit of comfort, in pursuit of recognition, and in pursuit of a desire of some sort.
video games can unfortunately become a substitute for 3 key things that the Gospel of Jesus truly fulfills:
1 - mission
2 - command structure
3 - someone keeping score
last week at RE:SPAWN we talked about the fact that Jesus gives us a mission, lays it out pretty clearly for us, and then equips us to accomplish it. the mission of God is the most powerful, life-changing mission we can undertake, and it just so happens that God WANTS us to be about His mission!
video games have mission structures - a clear goal, a clear path or two, and you have something to accomplish. the mission of a game is WAY easy, when compared to the mission of God, and even the mission of being a good student. it's easier to accomplish something in the game, and so we spend time doing the mission that we can accomplish with little effort rather than focusing on the mission that will affect our lives in deep and potent ways.
this week, we'll be talking about the fact that we all need to understand the command structure and function within it.
to realize how our need for command structure is met (partly) in gaming, think about how Master Chief interacts with Marines in the Halo games... there is a level of respect, they follow his orders, they assist his mission. And, from a gamer's perspective, this just feels RIGHT. Of COURSE it should be this way, and if there was a different interaction, it would either be an awful game or a different game all together.
In a strategy game or an RPG, there are command structures in place that ensure that the game will flow in a manner that tells the story and accomplishes the goals. an RPG without boundaries would be pretty weird and not terribly compelling as a game, and the concept of strategy games demands that there be rules within which you can strategize with strategery.
these games, without a command structure and boundaries, would be chaos.
and what would chaos be like? i mean, seriously...
what would chaos be like in game design. you wouldn't play it!
what would chaos be like in gov't - what about in your home? as interesting as it may be to think about the momentary fun of chaos in the home or in the town, chaos would ultimately be destructive - it is not who we are, it does not truly resonate with our nature.
God made us in His image, we bear His image, our nature is rooted in His nature, especially if we are Christians. here's some scripture to get our minds around what all this stuff means:
God's chain of command in:
trinity - Matt 26:39, Phil 2:5-11
Clearly, there is a structure even within the Trinity, in whose image we are made. Jesus submits to the Father, yet the Father lifts up the Son as Lord to whom EVERY knee will bow when things are made right. So... the ultimate authority in our command structure is God, and the person of Jesus is our Lord and King.
family - Col. 3:17-21, Eph. 5:21-6:4, Prov. 17:6, I John 3:1-3
Within the family, there is a structure - and when we function within it rather than fighting it, we might just like it. Something deep within us resonates with proper structure, authority, and submission, and Paul lays it all out in his letters. One of the reasons that our roles as children are so important is because we are called children of God, and He is our Father, and in order to really know how that will work, we must live out that truth with our earthly fathers as much as it depends on us.
Thankfully, there is no clarification that we are to obey our parents only if they are "cool," or "right all the time," or "perfect," but rather the implication is that we are to obey them even if they are NOT right! that'll make your brain explode if you are ages 12-22.
church - Hebrews 13:17, I Peter 2:13-15
Our chain of command also includes the church - the elders, the pastors, and the leaders in ministries are the ones in authority over us, and God holds them accountable for that leadership! we should take advantage of this command structure and get to know our pastors and leaders when we are young, for they have much to teach us about God's mission if we would listen.
so within these three contexts, we have our command structure, our chain of command. what makes our military so (generally speeaking) successful? do they run around and shoot whoever they want every battle (like some kids i know play Call of Duty)? nope - there are commands... there is a mission, and there are those who are commanders.
how this unpacks for the youth in particular and gamers in general:
in our lives(if we are believers), the Lord Jesus is the supreme commander in chief... He is the Lord before whom EVERYone will eventually bow, and we have the opportunity to serve with NOW, since we have responded to the gospel. it is important that we learn more and more about this Lord we serve, so as to serve Him better.
after Jesus, the next general down is the family - your father, your mother, your grandparents, they are commanders who can give you what you need to accomplish God's mission. this is often passed over, and frequently these commanders will neglect their duty to care for and support you... but God will still speak through even flawed commanders (or donkeys... look it up).
within the church, there are many men and women who can serve as fathers, mothers, and brothers to help you complete God's mission, but there are also men who are Pastors, who are authorities who can give you specific goals within the mission, and who can pray with you about defeating the enemy. we must keep this in mind, and even renew our minds with these encouraging truths.
sometimes, we substitute things into our lives that are meant to be space where the Gospel of Jesus teaches and shapes us. and THOSE kinds of substitutes are TRULY a waste of time. instead of finding our true purpose in our life in Christ, we find purpose in pursuit of comfort, in pursuit of recognition, and in pursuit of a desire of some sort.
video games can unfortunately become a substitute for 3 key things that the Gospel of Jesus truly fulfills:
1 - mission
2 - command structure
3 - someone keeping score
last week at RE:SPAWN we talked about the fact that Jesus gives us a mission, lays it out pretty clearly for us, and then equips us to accomplish it. the mission of God is the most powerful, life-changing mission we can undertake, and it just so happens that God WANTS us to be about His mission!
video games have mission structures - a clear goal, a clear path or two, and you have something to accomplish. the mission of a game is WAY easy, when compared to the mission of God, and even the mission of being a good student. it's easier to accomplish something in the game, and so we spend time doing the mission that we can accomplish with little effort rather than focusing on the mission that will affect our lives in deep and potent ways.
this week, we'll be talking about the fact that we all need to understand the command structure and function within it.
to realize how our need for command structure is met (partly) in gaming, think about how Master Chief interacts with Marines in the Halo games... there is a level of respect, they follow his orders, they assist his mission. And, from a gamer's perspective, this just feels RIGHT. Of COURSE it should be this way, and if there was a different interaction, it would either be an awful game or a different game all together.
In a strategy game or an RPG, there are command structures in place that ensure that the game will flow in a manner that tells the story and accomplishes the goals. an RPG without boundaries would be pretty weird and not terribly compelling as a game, and the concept of strategy games demands that there be rules within which you can strategize with strategery.
these games, without a command structure and boundaries, would be chaos.
and what would chaos be like? i mean, seriously...
what would chaos be like in game design. you wouldn't play it!
what would chaos be like in gov't - what about in your home? as interesting as it may be to think about the momentary fun of chaos in the home or in the town, chaos would ultimately be destructive - it is not who we are, it does not truly resonate with our nature.
God made us in His image, we bear His image, our nature is rooted in His nature, especially if we are Christians. here's some scripture to get our minds around what all this stuff means:
God's chain of command in:
trinity - Matt 26:39, Phil 2:5-11
Clearly, there is a structure even within the Trinity, in whose image we are made. Jesus submits to the Father, yet the Father lifts up the Son as Lord to whom EVERY knee will bow when things are made right. So... the ultimate authority in our command structure is God, and the person of Jesus is our Lord and King.
family - Col. 3:17-21, Eph. 5:21-6:4, Prov. 17:6, I John 3:1-3
Within the family, there is a structure - and when we function within it rather than fighting it, we might just like it. Something deep within us resonates with proper structure, authority, and submission, and Paul lays it all out in his letters. One of the reasons that our roles as children are so important is because we are called children of God, and He is our Father, and in order to really know how that will work, we must live out that truth with our earthly fathers as much as it depends on us.
Thankfully, there is no clarification that we are to obey our parents only if they are "cool," or "right all the time," or "perfect," but rather the implication is that we are to obey them even if they are NOT right! that'll make your brain explode if you are ages 12-22.
church - Hebrews 13:17, I Peter 2:13-15
Our chain of command also includes the church - the elders, the pastors, and the leaders in ministries are the ones in authority over us, and God holds them accountable for that leadership! we should take advantage of this command structure and get to know our pastors and leaders when we are young, for they have much to teach us about God's mission if we would listen.
so within these three contexts, we have our command structure, our chain of command. what makes our military so (generally speeaking) successful? do they run around and shoot whoever they want every battle (like some kids i know play Call of Duty)? nope - there are commands... there is a mission, and there are those who are commanders.
how this unpacks for the youth in particular and gamers in general:
in our lives(if we are believers), the Lord Jesus is the supreme commander in chief... He is the Lord before whom EVERYone will eventually bow, and we have the opportunity to serve with NOW, since we have responded to the gospel. it is important that we learn more and more about this Lord we serve, so as to serve Him better.
after Jesus, the next general down is the family - your father, your mother, your grandparents, they are commanders who can give you what you need to accomplish God's mission. this is often passed over, and frequently these commanders will neglect their duty to care for and support you... but God will still speak through even flawed commanders (or donkeys... look it up).
within the church, there are many men and women who can serve as fathers, mothers, and brothers to help you complete God's mission, but there are also men who are Pastors, who are authorities who can give you specific goals within the mission, and who can pray with you about defeating the enemy. we must keep this in mind, and even renew our minds with these encouraging truths.
Friday, July 09, 2010
re:spawn
i've been pumped about Fridays in the summer for one particular reason - i get to play video games during "work."
last year, Eisenberg, Shaun, and I had the idea for some sort of gaming event that could take advantage of the TVs and network we have here at the church... we had done stuff during youth Lock-ins, but that was it...
on Fridays from 11 to 3, we are setting up the TVs, hooking up the xbox and/or Wii systems, and getting our game on. it reminds me at times of the good ol' days of playing Halo or Halo2 in the dorms at CU, where we'd have 16 guys connected through the dorm network, yelling at each other through the suites or down the hallway - nothing beats hearing your friend scream in anguish from down the hall after you get some lucky kill.
i've had a desire to find ways to redeem video gaming from the ways it is typically viewed by 'adults,' and re:spawn has been one of those ways. we don't JUST shoot each other for 4 hours... but rather, we game for a bit, then take a break to eat lunch. then, i have a captive audience for some discussion, scripture, and prayer. then we shoot each other some more.
some of the things that we talked about last summer and have re-capped this summer have been:
the gospel - the 4 key ingredients when talking about it (God, Man, Christ, Response)
the 10,000 rule - after 10k hours, one can be considered an expert at whatever skill/task has been practiced for those hours. musicians, artists, computer programmers, writers, etc - after 10,000 hrs, they are respected as masters of their craft. 10k breaks down to roughly 10 years of doing something for an hour or two a day. so, do we really want to be video game experts by the time we are 22-28? (the youth age 12-18 - i guess i'm technically already a gaming expert... yay?)
playing games/reading books/watching movies with gospel goggles - the gospel changes everything about us, affects the way we see and interact with the world. it's like wearing goggles that we see through, in a way. when we are gaming, we can't just turn our brains off. what of the gospel is there in the story of the game? is there anything redeemable or valuable? if not, we should probably turn it off... but if so, what does it show us about God and the gospel?
the social factor of gaming - using the time/games to build relationships and get to know people. online interactivity allows us to maintain relationships with people who live down the street or across the world, and if we are being intentional we can use our gaming time to serve a real purpose.
in a recent video sermon from Mark Driscoll, he said some things in passing about video games that were very challenging to me, and gave me some things to think about and chew on heading into this year's re:spawn events.
over the next 3 weeks, i'll be unpacking 3 points. for a large number of youth and adolescents, and even some adultlescents, video gaming (or insert movie watching, obsessive reading, etc) becomes a substitute for something. video games end up filling a space in us and in our time that is intended to be filled by the gospel, and we need to be aware of this - especially gamers like me and our youth at GCC. the 3 things that we need that gaming substitutes are:
1 - we need a mission
2 - we need a command structure
3 - we need someone keeping score
since some of the guys are out of town this week, i figured i'd go ahead and write up some of the key points from this week's study so that they can stay in the loop.
- video games give us missions to accomplish. in fact, most games can be broken down into various missions, and if we don't have a mission or the mission isn't clear, we lose interest in the game. video games give us memorable missions - there are levels, bosses, and cinematics that i'll remember for a LONG time because of the mission they were a part of or the mission i accomplished in the experience.
- the gospel gives us a mission that is SO much more meaningful, SO much more clear, and SO much more memorable than anything we can do through our digital selves. in Matthew 28 when Jesus gives us our mission, in the book of Acts where we read of the mission beginning to take shape, and in all the epistles where the mission is explained in more detail - we find that the mission of God has the power to transform lives, communities, cultures, and ultimately the whole world.
- so why do we spend so much time doing things on the couch?
if you're interested in re:spawn, look for the events on Facebook (publicly searchable)
last year, Eisenberg, Shaun, and I had the idea for some sort of gaming event that could take advantage of the TVs and network we have here at the church... we had done stuff during youth Lock-ins, but that was it...
on Fridays from 11 to 3, we are setting up the TVs, hooking up the xbox and/or Wii systems, and getting our game on. it reminds me at times of the good ol' days of playing Halo or Halo2 in the dorms at CU, where we'd have 16 guys connected through the dorm network, yelling at each other through the suites or down the hallway - nothing beats hearing your friend scream in anguish from down the hall after you get some lucky kill.
i've had a desire to find ways to redeem video gaming from the ways it is typically viewed by 'adults,' and re:spawn has been one of those ways. we don't JUST shoot each other for 4 hours... but rather, we game for a bit, then take a break to eat lunch. then, i have a captive audience for some discussion, scripture, and prayer. then we shoot each other some more.
some of the things that we talked about last summer and have re-capped this summer have been:
the gospel - the 4 key ingredients when talking about it (God, Man, Christ, Response)
the 10,000 rule - after 10k hours, one can be considered an expert at whatever skill/task has been practiced for those hours. musicians, artists, computer programmers, writers, etc - after 10,000 hrs, they are respected as masters of their craft. 10k breaks down to roughly 10 years of doing something for an hour or two a day. so, do we really want to be video game experts by the time we are 22-28? (the youth age 12-18 - i guess i'm technically already a gaming expert... yay?)
playing games/reading books/watching movies with gospel goggles - the gospel changes everything about us, affects the way we see and interact with the world. it's like wearing goggles that we see through, in a way. when we are gaming, we can't just turn our brains off. what of the gospel is there in the story of the game? is there anything redeemable or valuable? if not, we should probably turn it off... but if so, what does it show us about God and the gospel?
the social factor of gaming - using the time/games to build relationships and get to know people. online interactivity allows us to maintain relationships with people who live down the street or across the world, and if we are being intentional we can use our gaming time to serve a real purpose.
in a recent video sermon from Mark Driscoll, he said some things in passing about video games that were very challenging to me, and gave me some things to think about and chew on heading into this year's re:spawn events.
over the next 3 weeks, i'll be unpacking 3 points. for a large number of youth and adolescents, and even some adultlescents, video gaming (or insert movie watching, obsessive reading, etc) becomes a substitute for something. video games end up filling a space in us and in our time that is intended to be filled by the gospel, and we need to be aware of this - especially gamers like me and our youth at GCC. the 3 things that we need that gaming substitutes are:
1 - we need a mission
2 - we need a command structure
3 - we need someone keeping score
since some of the guys are out of town this week, i figured i'd go ahead and write up some of the key points from this week's study so that they can stay in the loop.
- video games give us missions to accomplish. in fact, most games can be broken down into various missions, and if we don't have a mission or the mission isn't clear, we lose interest in the game. video games give us memorable missions - there are levels, bosses, and cinematics that i'll remember for a LONG time because of the mission they were a part of or the mission i accomplished in the experience.
- the gospel gives us a mission that is SO much more meaningful, SO much more clear, and SO much more memorable than anything we can do through our digital selves. in Matthew 28 when Jesus gives us our mission, in the book of Acts where we read of the mission beginning to take shape, and in all the epistles where the mission is explained in more detail - we find that the mission of God has the power to transform lives, communities, cultures, and ultimately the whole world.
- so why do we spend so much time doing things on the couch?
if you're interested in re:spawn, look for the events on Facebook (publicly searchable)
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
songs i wish i wrote
this is a song by the classic crime entitled "the happy nihilist"
i've wanted to pen a similar song for a few years now, and now i'll have to think of a different approach... oh well. too slow on the trigger, as they say...
i am a happy nihilist
no absolute truth does exist
when i decide to shake my fist
i only got myself to blame
'cause we're all players and life's the game
i only take what i need
i am so light on my feet
i will not stop or concede
i am not driven by greed
no moral compass for me
it's all just natural feelings
existence has no meaning
there's no such thing as happy
but late at night when i sleep,
i dream of more than i see
there's something burning in me
and driving need to be free
why do i sit here and think
about the things that i need
there's nothing left to believe, oh is it all just a dream?
i've taught this to myself
piled books up on the shelf
but it still hurts like hell
to trust nobody else but me
i used to read everything
i used to need nothing
i put my money on me
i used to be something
now i can't sleep
cause i'm not happy
why am i haunted by the metaphysical
is it a cosmic lie or is it literal?
the books i read that used to free my mind
have made me more blind
but the truth
i'll find it
i was a happy nihilist
now i'm wondering why i exist
i've wanted to pen a similar song for a few years now, and now i'll have to think of a different approach... oh well. too slow on the trigger, as they say...
i am a happy nihilist
no absolute truth does exist
when i decide to shake my fist
i only got myself to blame
'cause we're all players and life's the game
i only take what i need
i am so light on my feet
i will not stop or concede
i am not driven by greed
no moral compass for me
it's all just natural feelings
existence has no meaning
there's no such thing as happy
but late at night when i sleep,
i dream of more than i see
there's something burning in me
and driving need to be free
why do i sit here and think
about the things that i need
there's nothing left to believe, oh is it all just a dream?
i've taught this to myself
piled books up on the shelf
but it still hurts like hell
to trust nobody else but me
i used to read everything
i used to need nothing
i put my money on me
i used to be something
now i can't sleep
cause i'm not happy
why am i haunted by the metaphysical
is it a cosmic lie or is it literal?
the books i read that used to free my mind
have made me more blind
but the truth
i'll find it
i was a happy nihilist
now i'm wondering why i exist
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
life with the red ring of death
for those of you unfamiliar, the 'red ring of death' is a term reserved for the wonderfully-crafted piece of machinery known as an Xbox360. this quality product has a 2 out of 3 tendency to have catastrophic hardware failure within 1-2 years of functionality.
it could only be made by - microsoft.
anyway, my xbox360 displayed this dreaded red ring last week, and i had to send it off to repair. the UPS store kid said they get two of those A DAY.
What have i accomplished in the time i would otherwise have been gaming?
- raked the yard of rocks/pebbles in preparation for topsoil
- bought fencing materials
- read The Lost Symbol
- read 3 trades of the Walking Dead
- read Empire, by Orson Scott Card
- read What is the Gospel?, by Greg Gilbert
The Lost Symbol was largely a waste of my time. I have the compulsion to finish books/movies/games that i start, however, so i had to keep reading even though i threw up a little in my mouth at several points. Particularly the points at which Dan Brown feels the need to completely abuse any sort of proper treatment of the Bible. He is teaching people pretty horrible hermeneutics through the course of his fast-paced, thrilling nonsense. But, i liked Angels and Demons (the book, not the film), so i had to give it a shot.
The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman, is a fascinating jump into a zombie apocalypse, focusing on a small group of key characters. the depths of human nature are plumbed, and it's not for anyone under 17, in my opinion. definitely rated-R, but also definitely thought-provoking and significantly engrossing. also just gross at times, but mostly engrossing.
Empire, by Card (one of my favorite authors), was amazing. It was fast-paced, but in so many ways BETTER than any of Brown's books. much more is left to the imagination of the reader, and since i have a pretty vivid sci-fi imagination, and watch lots of movies with explosions, my mind was able to supply some pretty sweet details to compliment the deft narrative woven by Card. the premise is: what if there was a contemporary civil war between red states and blue states, precipitated by the assassination of the president and vice pres.? you should go read this.
i just picked up the sequel, Hidden Empire, today from the library, so i'm hoping to finish this one before the ol' Xbox360 returns sans red ring.
i wonder what else i can accomplish before the gaming resumes...?
it could only be made by - microsoft.
anyway, my xbox360 displayed this dreaded red ring last week, and i had to send it off to repair. the UPS store kid said they get two of those A DAY.
What have i accomplished in the time i would otherwise have been gaming?
- raked the yard of rocks/pebbles in preparation for topsoil
- bought fencing materials
- read The Lost Symbol
- read 3 trades of the Walking Dead
- read Empire, by Orson Scott Card
- read What is the Gospel?, by Greg Gilbert
The Lost Symbol was largely a waste of my time. I have the compulsion to finish books/movies/games that i start, however, so i had to keep reading even though i threw up a little in my mouth at several points. Particularly the points at which Dan Brown feels the need to completely abuse any sort of proper treatment of the Bible. He is teaching people pretty horrible hermeneutics through the course of his fast-paced, thrilling nonsense. But, i liked Angels and Demons (the book, not the film), so i had to give it a shot.
The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman, is a fascinating jump into a zombie apocalypse, focusing on a small group of key characters. the depths of human nature are plumbed, and it's not for anyone under 17, in my opinion. definitely rated-R, but also definitely thought-provoking and significantly engrossing. also just gross at times, but mostly engrossing.
Empire, by Card (one of my favorite authors), was amazing. It was fast-paced, but in so many ways BETTER than any of Brown's books. much more is left to the imagination of the reader, and since i have a pretty vivid sci-fi imagination, and watch lots of movies with explosions, my mind was able to supply some pretty sweet details to compliment the deft narrative woven by Card. the premise is: what if there was a contemporary civil war between red states and blue states, precipitated by the assassination of the president and vice pres.? you should go read this.
i just picked up the sequel, Hidden Empire, today from the library, so i'm hoping to finish this one before the ol' Xbox360 returns sans red ring.
i wonder what else i can accomplish before the gaming resumes...?
Friday, December 04, 2009
at long last - thoughts on late summer movies
District 9 -
although i am deeply saddened that the Halo feature film fell through (the downloadable short film is available on Xbox Live), that unfortunate development led to the VERY fortunate production of District 9. Blomkamp (director) and Jackson (producer) moved their energies out of the Halo universe and into fictional, near-future South Africa.
I really, really enjoyed this film because of how well it draws in the viewer - the use of documentary-style storytelling is not overdone or distracting, but rather helpful in pacing the story. The final act of the film clips along pretty steadily, and is quite intense. I'm all about intense films, but my wife was a little bit unnerved by the treatment of a baby(?) alien creature, so let the ladies be informed that this film is so good that you'll actually care about what happens to an alien. That, to me, is the mark of a great storyteller.
all of the effects shots are woven into the "real" shots so well that you have to remind yourself that what you're looking at is digitally inserted. i'm not sure how you direct something that's as much digital as it is non-digital, but Blomkamp was able to get a LOT out of Sharlto Copley, so i'm interested to see how Copley does in the role of Murdock on the new A-Team movie...
Although the Hollywood machine has deemed that this movie demands a sequel/prequel (based upon money earned), i'm a little anxious about that - this film stands alone, telling a complete story that crafts a believable world and set of characters. I will look forward to ANYthing that Blomkamp is invovled with in the future, however, even if it is an unnecessary sequel to District 9.
GI Joe -
now, i may take some flack for this, but this movie is one of the worst films i have subjected myself to in my entire life.
I am a pure child of the 80's, so Transformers, GI Joe, Thundercats, and Ducktales were some of the most powerful, formative influences in my impressionable mind. I still collect Transformers stuff here and there, and i'm a big Storm Shadow fan, so i had serious expectations for this film that were rooted in my childhood experience.
When i was a kid, it was okay for lasers to fly across the screen and no one get harmed. When i was a kid, it was okay when there was nothing resembling a storyline in the episode or connecting episodes. When i was a child, i spoke like a child and reasoned like a child. Now that i'm an "adult," i've marginalized some of the childish things, and i've certainly tried to stay away from pop drivel that melts your brain. Unfortunately, i feel a little bit dumber after having watched GI Joe.
I will give the film its due in only one area: Ray Park as Snake Eyes. it is impossible to have cast that role any better. What makes me sad is that so much of the Snake Eyes character is digital that you aren't really sure if you're watching Ray Park at all. Or maybe Ray Park is all digital too, which wouldn't surprise me.
Here's the saddest part of all - i'll probably see the sequel.
Zombieland
Woody Harrelson was perfect in this film - he basically stars with Michael Cera, i mean, Jesse Eisenberg, in a comedic take on the zombie trends saturating pop culture right now.
There's actually a pretty meaningful story at the heart of this strangely fun movie, and that story is what holds all the set pieces together. I really enjoy shooting zombies via XboxLive, and i have enjoyed SOME of the resurgent zombieness (28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, Left4Dead), so i was pretty pumped about a film that would at once embrace this zombie craze and also poke some fun at it in a tongue-in-cheek, self-aware fashion.
There were many moments of slapstick, more than a few moments of sarcasm, and a few moments of tenderness mixed together with flesh-craving special effects shots and a generally apocalyptic backdrop. I guess it's getting fairly easy for Hollywood to create an empty, trash-littered highway and deserted towns since every studio seems to be putting out a movie that would take advantage of that setting.
Catch this in the $1.50 theatre if possible, but otherwise it's worth a red-box rental. or netflix.
who even goes to blockbuster anymore?
although i am deeply saddened that the Halo feature film fell through (the downloadable short film is available on Xbox Live), that unfortunate development led to the VERY fortunate production of District 9. Blomkamp (director) and Jackson (producer) moved their energies out of the Halo universe and into fictional, near-future South Africa.
I really, really enjoyed this film because of how well it draws in the viewer - the use of documentary-style storytelling is not overdone or distracting, but rather helpful in pacing the story. The final act of the film clips along pretty steadily, and is quite intense. I'm all about intense films, but my wife was a little bit unnerved by the treatment of a baby(?) alien creature, so let the ladies be informed that this film is so good that you'll actually care about what happens to an alien. That, to me, is the mark of a great storyteller.
all of the effects shots are woven into the "real" shots so well that you have to remind yourself that what you're looking at is digitally inserted. i'm not sure how you direct something that's as much digital as it is non-digital, but Blomkamp was able to get a LOT out of Sharlto Copley, so i'm interested to see how Copley does in the role of Murdock on the new A-Team movie...
Although the Hollywood machine has deemed that this movie demands a sequel/prequel (based upon money earned), i'm a little anxious about that - this film stands alone, telling a complete story that crafts a believable world and set of characters. I will look forward to ANYthing that Blomkamp is invovled with in the future, however, even if it is an unnecessary sequel to District 9.
GI Joe -
now, i may take some flack for this, but this movie is one of the worst films i have subjected myself to in my entire life.
I am a pure child of the 80's, so Transformers, GI Joe, Thundercats, and Ducktales were some of the most powerful, formative influences in my impressionable mind. I still collect Transformers stuff here and there, and i'm a big Storm Shadow fan, so i had serious expectations for this film that were rooted in my childhood experience.
When i was a kid, it was okay for lasers to fly across the screen and no one get harmed. When i was a kid, it was okay when there was nothing resembling a storyline in the episode or connecting episodes. When i was a child, i spoke like a child and reasoned like a child. Now that i'm an "adult," i've marginalized some of the childish things, and i've certainly tried to stay away from pop drivel that melts your brain. Unfortunately, i feel a little bit dumber after having watched GI Joe.
I will give the film its due in only one area: Ray Park as Snake Eyes. it is impossible to have cast that role any better. What makes me sad is that so much of the Snake Eyes character is digital that you aren't really sure if you're watching Ray Park at all. Or maybe Ray Park is all digital too, which wouldn't surprise me.
Here's the saddest part of all - i'll probably see the sequel.
Zombieland
Woody Harrelson was perfect in this film - he basically stars with Michael Cera, i mean, Jesse Eisenberg, in a comedic take on the zombie trends saturating pop culture right now.
There's actually a pretty meaningful story at the heart of this strangely fun movie, and that story is what holds all the set pieces together. I really enjoy shooting zombies via XboxLive, and i have enjoyed SOME of the resurgent zombieness (28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, Left4Dead), so i was pretty pumped about a film that would at once embrace this zombie craze and also poke some fun at it in a tongue-in-cheek, self-aware fashion.
There were many moments of slapstick, more than a few moments of sarcasm, and a few moments of tenderness mixed together with flesh-craving special effects shots and a generally apocalyptic backdrop. I guess it's getting fairly easy for Hollywood to create an empty, trash-littered highway and deserted towns since every studio seems to be putting out a movie that would take advantage of that setting.
Catch this in the $1.50 theatre if possible, but otherwise it's worth a red-box rental. or netflix.
who even goes to blockbuster anymore?
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
buyer - be informed
one of the greatest problems faced by consumers in our culture is the MASSIVE amount of choices available to us. because of this overwhelming amount of choices and thus information, we often decide to sit back and just go with our instincts, our first impulse, our gut feelings when deciding what to buy.
the assumption there is that we've developed reliable guts.
the way i've seen this play out recently is in the context of video gaming. Parents, and young adults and teens, are buying games without much research or awareness of the content - rather, because the game is hyped, marketed well, or simply on sale, the game gets bought. Because there are SO MANY games and SO MANY systems available, it can definitely seem like a daunting task for parents to even BEGIN to get a handle on the content of the games being released, much less the huge library of games already available.
personally, i've been having to tighten up our family's budget a bit, and in doing so i've been forced to consider the things on which we spend money. in this consideration, i've been forced to come to terms with the amount of media i purchase (another discussion for another time), and also forced to consider the content of this media. Music, Movies, Books, and Video Games...
when Grand Theft Auto 4 released early in the year, i was amazed at the rating it received - a perfect 10 from IGN, one of the best-reputed game reviewers in print or on the web. My first thought was "man, i've GOT to play this game. it got a perfect 10 from IGN!"
i fought my instinct, though, and did a little digging before forking out $60. in the course of my research, i found some unfortunate plot points and some very unfortunate gameplay features that changed my perspective on the game. I realized that there was very, very little in the game that would encourage me but rather very, very much that would cause me to consume images of murder, prostitution, drug abuse - but more than a movie or book, i would be actively CHOOSING these activities through the medium of a game.
Paul's challenge to me (and all followers of Jesus) is to think on things that are deeply valuable, not merely entertaining. we are to consider the things that are "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and/or praiseworthy."
it is my opinion that not all these characteristics need be present in a particular medium, but at LEAST 2 or 3 of these should be obvious in any media that we put in front of our eyes and thus in our minds. if NONE of these characteristics is present, then what ultimate value is present...?
when i held this up to GTA4, it was left sorely wanting, so i decided to hold off. ultimately, the multiplayer portion of GTA that was so highly acclaimed dropped to only a handful of players online at a given time, and in today's highly connected video gaming world, multiplayer is almost a must-have, and if you attempt it, you better do it WELL. but, i digress...
i also realized that as a follower of Jesus, i couldn't really recommend a game like GTA4, and i began considering the other games i've played/am playing, wondering which ones i could let a youth from my church borrow, and which ones probably would need to be screened by their parents first... but i quickly realized that so many parents, and their consuming teenagers, are woefully misinformed or underinformed when it comes to the media content in front of their kids!
With all that said, here's what has prompted this whole train of thought:
in the new xbox360/playstation3 game Modern Warfare 2, a new line has been crossed by game developers at Activision and Infinity Ward. this game is rated M for "mature," meaning you can't buy it unless you are 17 or older, but that won't stop most parents from being suckered into getting it for their whiny 12-year-old who wants nothing else in this world besides that one video game that all his friends are playing (i was that kid, so i'm not hating).
If you are a parent considering this game for your child, or if you are a parent whose child has already beaten the single-player campaign for this game, or if you are a conscientious young adult who wants to consider carefully where your money goes - do some research on the content of this game.
i did, and found out something very troubling.
as usual, i went to IGN.com to read the review... most of what was said indicated that this game is a significant step up from COD:MW, and poised to be one of the "best" games of the year. the multiplayer is layered with customizable and unlockable features, and a new co-op mode promises hours of interesting gameplay. Nowhere in the review, however, did i find mention of the Moscow Airport level.
During a portion of the single-player campaign in the game, you play the part of an undercover agent in a terrorist cell that decides to attack an airport filled with unarmed civilians. This puts the player in position to end the lives of nameless non-combatants.
let that image sink in...
Now, this may not strike you immediately, but put yourself in the shoes of a young teenager who has never been exposed to this level of violence... put yourself in the position of a parent who has sought to protect their child from such images... put yourself in the position of a person who might encounter real violence like this in their place in the world. (how ridiculous this must be to someone who has lost their family to a terrorist attack - we are playing games that effectively mock their experience).
the argument from Infinity Ward may be that they intend to shock the gamer into recognizing the horrible, dark side of war... but this level is not the way to do that, no matter the story's context. this is a gratuitous, insulting use of the gaming medium to perpetuate pointless violence. a child should not be given the option of choosing whether or not to shoot unarmed civilian characters (which is why GTA4 can be a dangerous game for kids).
so, what do we do with this? already, MW2 is being referred to as the 'best selling entertainment property' of the year, with a HUGE number from release sales. so, our kids and friends are already being exposed to or have been exposed to the content from this game.
this is an opportunity for parents to engage with their kids in meaningful conversation. it's a chance for college students and young adults to pause and reflect on the things we purchase, the images we take in, and the stories we consume. How did/does this level make the player feel? How do these images make sense in light of the Gospel? What value is there, if any, in experiencing this kind of level in a video game?
If the player didn't feel anything particularly notable while playing this level... it's time to turn the video games off for a while. If the only way we connect to violence in the world is through a simulation, we are VERY disconnected from reality. If the player has no idea how to reconcile this level/these images with the Gospel, or if the player can't articulate whether or not there is value here... maybe the $60 could be better spent elsewhere. Maybe there is some room for many more conversations to happen, outside of the living room with the TV in it. Maybe there are some more important things into which the gamer could invest their time, emotional energy, and thoughts.
it's so very important that followers of Jesus be willing to hold up the things we consume to the Gospel, and let the teaching and life of Jesus help us filter out the things that are going to be destructive in the long run...
the assumption there is that we've developed reliable guts.
the way i've seen this play out recently is in the context of video gaming. Parents, and young adults and teens, are buying games without much research or awareness of the content - rather, because the game is hyped, marketed well, or simply on sale, the game gets bought. Because there are SO MANY games and SO MANY systems available, it can definitely seem like a daunting task for parents to even BEGIN to get a handle on the content of the games being released, much less the huge library of games already available.
personally, i've been having to tighten up our family's budget a bit, and in doing so i've been forced to consider the things on which we spend money. in this consideration, i've been forced to come to terms with the amount of media i purchase (another discussion for another time), and also forced to consider the content of this media. Music, Movies, Books, and Video Games...
when Grand Theft Auto 4 released early in the year, i was amazed at the rating it received - a perfect 10 from IGN, one of the best-reputed game reviewers in print or on the web. My first thought was "man, i've GOT to play this game. it got a perfect 10 from IGN!"
i fought my instinct, though, and did a little digging before forking out $60. in the course of my research, i found some unfortunate plot points and some very unfortunate gameplay features that changed my perspective on the game. I realized that there was very, very little in the game that would encourage me but rather very, very much that would cause me to consume images of murder, prostitution, drug abuse - but more than a movie or book, i would be actively CHOOSING these activities through the medium of a game.
Paul's challenge to me (and all followers of Jesus) is to think on things that are deeply valuable, not merely entertaining. we are to consider the things that are "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and/or praiseworthy."
it is my opinion that not all these characteristics need be present in a particular medium, but at LEAST 2 or 3 of these should be obvious in any media that we put in front of our eyes and thus in our minds. if NONE of these characteristics is present, then what ultimate value is present...?
when i held this up to GTA4, it was left sorely wanting, so i decided to hold off. ultimately, the multiplayer portion of GTA that was so highly acclaimed dropped to only a handful of players online at a given time, and in today's highly connected video gaming world, multiplayer is almost a must-have, and if you attempt it, you better do it WELL. but, i digress...
i also realized that as a follower of Jesus, i couldn't really recommend a game like GTA4, and i began considering the other games i've played/am playing, wondering which ones i could let a youth from my church borrow, and which ones probably would need to be screened by their parents first... but i quickly realized that so many parents, and their consuming teenagers, are woefully misinformed or underinformed when it comes to the media content in front of their kids!
With all that said, here's what has prompted this whole train of thought:
in the new xbox360/playstation3 game Modern Warfare 2, a new line has been crossed by game developers at Activision and Infinity Ward. this game is rated M for "mature," meaning you can't buy it unless you are 17 or older, but that won't stop most parents from being suckered into getting it for their whiny 12-year-old who wants nothing else in this world besides that one video game that all his friends are playing (i was that kid, so i'm not hating).
If you are a parent considering this game for your child, or if you are a parent whose child has already beaten the single-player campaign for this game, or if you are a conscientious young adult who wants to consider carefully where your money goes - do some research on the content of this game.
i did, and found out something very troubling.
as usual, i went to IGN.com to read the review... most of what was said indicated that this game is a significant step up from COD:MW, and poised to be one of the "best" games of the year. the multiplayer is layered with customizable and unlockable features, and a new co-op mode promises hours of interesting gameplay. Nowhere in the review, however, did i find mention of the Moscow Airport level.
During a portion of the single-player campaign in the game, you play the part of an undercover agent in a terrorist cell that decides to attack an airport filled with unarmed civilians. This puts the player in position to end the lives of nameless non-combatants.
let that image sink in...
Now, this may not strike you immediately, but put yourself in the shoes of a young teenager who has never been exposed to this level of violence... put yourself in the position of a parent who has sought to protect their child from such images... put yourself in the position of a person who might encounter real violence like this in their place in the world. (how ridiculous this must be to someone who has lost their family to a terrorist attack - we are playing games that effectively mock their experience).
the argument from Infinity Ward may be that they intend to shock the gamer into recognizing the horrible, dark side of war... but this level is not the way to do that, no matter the story's context. this is a gratuitous, insulting use of the gaming medium to perpetuate pointless violence. a child should not be given the option of choosing whether or not to shoot unarmed civilian characters (which is why GTA4 can be a dangerous game for kids).
so, what do we do with this? already, MW2 is being referred to as the 'best selling entertainment property' of the year, with a HUGE number from release sales. so, our kids and friends are already being exposed to or have been exposed to the content from this game.
this is an opportunity for parents to engage with their kids in meaningful conversation. it's a chance for college students and young adults to pause and reflect on the things we purchase, the images we take in, and the stories we consume. How did/does this level make the player feel? How do these images make sense in light of the Gospel? What value is there, if any, in experiencing this kind of level in a video game?
If the player didn't feel anything particularly notable while playing this level... it's time to turn the video games off for a while. If the only way we connect to violence in the world is through a simulation, we are VERY disconnected from reality. If the player has no idea how to reconcile this level/these images with the Gospel, or if the player can't articulate whether or not there is value here... maybe the $60 could be better spent elsewhere. Maybe there is some room for many more conversations to happen, outside of the living room with the TV in it. Maybe there are some more important things into which the gamer could invest their time, emotional energy, and thoughts.
it's so very important that followers of Jesus be willing to hold up the things we consume to the Gospel, and let the teaching and life of Jesus help us filter out the things that are going to be destructive in the long run...
delayed reviews...
i still plan on giving some thought to District 9 and GI Joe (still haven't seen it even though it's on DVD now), so hopefully i'll have some time for that while i'm stuck on the couch next week - i have an outpatient surgery that will keep me from being too mobile for a few days, so those reviews can hopefully get done...
but before i get to those movies, i've felt like commenting on some of the newer video games being released... video game culture is a whole other post i'd like to get to, but there's a pressing matter regarding a new release in particular for which i'm forming up my thoughts... Modern Warfare 2.
stay tuned...
but before i get to those movies, i've felt like commenting on some of the newer video games being released... video game culture is a whole other post i'd like to get to, but there's a pressing matter regarding a new release in particular for which i'm forming up my thoughts... Modern Warfare 2.
stay tuned...
Thursday, September 10, 2009
woe is me, my budget suffers
i was able to catch District 9, but GI Joe will have to wait for the 1.50 theatre... just couldn't justify 15 bucks for what may be an intellectually weak film. it'll have explosions, sure, but that isn't ALL that i want to pay for...
so, part 3 of the movie review will wait until GI Joe makes it to the cheap seats.
accordingly, i've also had to pay attention to where my other entertainment money goes... my wife got me tickets to U2 in October, and we are seeing Derek Webb this month, followed by Mute Math in November, and each of those tickets takes some intentional budgeting.
back in college, i had money to waste (this is a statement from that perspective). Now, almost every dollar must be accounted for, and this is not a natural thing for me to do! thankfully, God still provides me opportunities to supplement my budget in ways that are both a blessing to me and a way for me to bless others - weddings, worship events, guitar lessons, chapel at Cape Fear... all of these things allow me to have money to spend on my beautiful wife (whose birthday is next week!), to spend on movies/music/comics, and to buy Christmas gifts. i feel like, the closer we get to having children, the more that my 'side money' is going to have a different focus... namely, the child! gotta save for his/her first guitar, after all.
still working on that definition of "evangelical," by the way... hoping to sit down and focus on it in the next couple weeks, before Home Group really starts up for us.
so, part 3 of the movie review will wait until GI Joe makes it to the cheap seats.
accordingly, i've also had to pay attention to where my other entertainment money goes... my wife got me tickets to U2 in October, and we are seeing Derek Webb this month, followed by Mute Math in November, and each of those tickets takes some intentional budgeting.
back in college, i had money to waste (this is a statement from that perspective). Now, almost every dollar must be accounted for, and this is not a natural thing for me to do! thankfully, God still provides me opportunities to supplement my budget in ways that are both a blessing to me and a way for me to bless others - weddings, worship events, guitar lessons, chapel at Cape Fear... all of these things allow me to have money to spend on my beautiful wife (whose birthday is next week!), to spend on movies/music/comics, and to buy Christmas gifts. i feel like, the closer we get to having children, the more that my 'side money' is going to have a different focus... namely, the child! gotta save for his/her first guitar, after all.
still working on that definition of "evangelical," by the way... hoping to sit down and focus on it in the next couple weeks, before Home Group really starts up for us.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
summer movies, pt. deux
looks like i'll need a part 3... i'll hopefully be seeing G.I.Joe soon, and then i'll be catching District 9 if possible.
Up -
The men and women at Pixar are some of the few filmmakers still carrying the torch for responsible, powerful, beautiful storytelling. I dread the day when they put out a bomb, like Dreamworks animation and others are occasionally releasing. If/When this happens (Pixar releasing a bad movie), prepare for the apocalypse. So, everytime i go to a Pixar flim, part of me is anxiously waiting for this to prove to be a great movie, and part of me is calmly anticipating what will indeed be a great movie.
Up is a great movie, simply put. Whether you see it in 3-D (like we did) or in old-fashioned 2-D, you won’t be able to avoid being bathed in a palette of rich color. The depth of color used in this film really pulls you into the world of the characters. Although there aren’t enough moments to necessarily demand that it be viewed in 3-D, i can’t complain about forking out the extra cash to have this movie just a little more “in” my face. The textures are great, and even though the human and animal characters are given exaggerated/cartoony features, they look like you could reach out and touch them.
Up has some very intense moments of personal intimacy, and some very sweeping moments of epic locales. The pinnacle of the story, for me, was the old man’s relationship with his wife - i even cried at one point during the film, which hasn’t happened in several years during a movie. Although the story is moved along by the old man’s relationship with the little boy, the motivating factor of his wife really resonated with me, a relatively-newly-wed young gentleman. Even right now, thinking about this particular aspect of the movie, i start to tear up as my thoughts move to my own wife and how much i want to cherish her in a way that would approach what is communicated in this part of the film.
There are tons of slapstick moments and little-kid humor, which illustrates Pixar’s uncanny ability to reach many audiences at once - adults, singles, married couples, kids of all ages, etc. There is something in this film that will resonate with you, regardless of your station in life or the season you’re in. Take the time to see it on the big screen so that it can really sweep you away, but even if you wait for DVD, make sure that you take some time to watch this with your family and/or friends.
Transformers 2 -
Two men in Hollywood have an unnatural, even preternatural, tendency toward large explosions. Michael Bay, producer/director of this movie, is one of those aberrant men. He managed to completely surprise me with the perverse amount of explosions of all types to be found in TF2.
Granted, one of the things i am looking for in a summer movie is ridiculously-good-looking explosions - BUT, i also prefer for there to be a story in between explosions. TF2 has no identifiable story, and really no reason for human characters. All of the awkward, pointless things from TF have been drawn out even more in the sequel. Remember how dumb the dialogue was? now it’s worse. Remember how stupid the Witwicky family is? They get stupider. Remember the awkward jokes about sexuality? There’s more, and it’s even more inappropriate for kids. Remember the strange racial stereotype embodied in the Autobot Jazz? Well, take that racial stereotype and literally multiply it by two. Remember John Turturro’s embarrassing role from TF? He gets an even more embarrassing role this time around. Such a good actor… sad times.
So, you may be wondering, “what is worthwhile in this movie?”
The Robots and the Explosions.
I loved all of the scenes with robot battles, robot chases, robot mayhem… completely satisfying eye candy, and completely suited for the big screen. I may buy this on DVD, but i’m sure that the scenes won’t be quite as engrossing on the home TV… but, on DVD, i’ll be able to skip all the unnecessary scenes with human characters! The explosions in this film are epic, creative, and exciting. I really am impressed with how Bay visualized these special effects while shooting, and then implemented them on the computer. i cannot think of another movie even close to comparable in the explosion department. and the Star Wars special editions have an exploding DEATH STARS.
If you are wondering whether to take your kids or not, i really think this one is skippable. If you are a diehard action-movie fan, or a true TF fan, there are some things worth seeing in this movie, and it can be enjoyable to a point. Just make sure you have NO EXPECTATIONS from Shia LeBeouf, Michael Bay, or the absent ‘plot’ of this movie.
Public Enemies -
Captain Jack Sparrow. Edward Scissorhands. Willy Wonka. The Mad Hatter. John Dillinger. Johnny Depp.
Bruce Wayne. John Connor. Patrick Bateman. Laurie. Jack Kelly. Melvin Purvis. Christian Bale.
These two actors are shockingly capable men. When Bale was in 3:10 to Yuma with Crowe, you were able to watch two equally strong screen-personalities go AT IT in their subtle dialogue and not-so-subtle action sequences. it was a great film, you should see it. Depp, although overused in Burton movies, is a very adept actor, making all the right subtle choices that convince the viewer of his characterization.
I’m a history buff, so this movie was right up my alley. Billy Crudup (Dr. Manhattan) has a believable turn as J. Edgar Hoover, and all the other bit players in this piece play their roles nicely. All of the settings and dialogue are believable, and pretty engrossing to someone who enjoys the attention to detail.
This film serves as a sort of vignette, definitely an abridged picture of Dillinger’s life. All of the keys are there, however, so in its brevity it is succinct. There are only a few times where the two main characters interact, so they don’t really go head to head as much as you might hope. Depp, in my opinion, embodies the famous Dillinger charisma very well, and intrigued me enough to the point that i want to do some more Dillinger research - to read the newspaper articles from the time, read some more biographical stuff, or even re-read the book on which the movie is based. Dillinger was a bank robber who you’d probably enjoy having a beer (or soda - it’s the prohibition, after all) with, unless you were J. Edgar Hoover trying to make a name for your Bureau. I think that Bale plays a Purvis who would even have enjoyed the chance to sit down with Dillinger.
This is not necessarily a theatre movie… you could wait for DVD. There are a couple gun battles that are pretty fun on the big screen, but certainly not necessary for the experience of engaging in Dillinger’s story. I highly recommend this film to fans of the 20’s, Dillinger, Depp, or Bale. Michael Mann’s direction is subtle and not as energetic as Collateral or Heat, mostly because of the different level of intensity that Dillinger’s story requires.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
summer moveis '09 - part 1
each summer, my wife and i budget to see some movies. for me, there are certain criteria that must be met before i fork over 7+ dollars for a ticket.
- there must be explosions
- there must be visuals that demand to be in your face
- there must be explosions
- there must be some sort of story being told in between explosions
so this summer, we've already seen a couple movies, so i'll give my thoughts on those:
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
if this is the first of a franchise of Wolverine and/or X-men Origins movies, i am very sad. I love comics, and even though i love DC a little more than Marvel, i still voraciously consume trade paperbacks and graphic novel collections of the plotlines of pretty much every major player in both DC and Marvel (thank the Lord for the public library!). This fact, however, is mostly what made Wolverine so un-enjoyable for me. I KNOW THE SOURCE MATERIAL. and not even as much as someone who is a 'fan' of Wolverine might know it - and thus, i was sorely disappointed. This movie strays from some of the most complex, nuanced backstory available in comicdom into a land of implausible (even for a COMIC), foolish set pieces that aren't even connected together well.
What does it have going for it? the intro sequence is smooth. the two legitimate fight scenes are eye candy. There are a couple of good explosions. Jackman still evokes the essence of Wolverine (seen best in X-2). Seeing the Weapon-X crew in their ONE, short scene together was pretty interesting, but all of the things that were done well were done too briefly.
The movie's pacing leaves you little time for actually getting too caught up in all the flaws... they kind of hit you like a small car as you are leaving the theatre trying to remember what you liked about the movie.
Should you see it...? Maybe. if you're a popcorn-flick person, there are better summer movies on which to spend your money. it's worth renting on DVD if you're a fan of the comics, but there's basically no way that they can entice me to buy the DVD at this point - the plot (or lack thereof) of this film is beyond redemption.
Star Trek
Growing up on Star Trek: The Next Generation, i have a pretty significant stake in Trekdom. As much as the Star Wars films informed my adolescent imagination, the Star Trek mythos was passed down to me from my dad and is a beloved part of my childhood. I remember watching 'the Wrath of KKKHHHAAAAAAAAANN' when i was probably 12, and thinking that Kirk and Spock were looking a little old already... i remember seeing 'the Undiscovered Country' in the theatre and being pretty impressed, and then 'First Contact' brought the ST:TNG crew onto the big screen successfully.
J.J. Abrams has been successful in this attempt, in many ways. Financial Success - even with less hype, i think this film would have grossed just as much on its own merit. But, being one of the bigger movies of the summer, it is guaranteed a sequel on its financial success alone. sad how Hollywood sees things that way... Technical Success - although over-hyped as having some sort of newer, fancier special effects, i do have to agree that this film utilized massive effects shots and epic CGI sequences very, very well - i never felt like i was being hit over the head with an explosion or an effects scene, but it always felt like just enough to be the exclamation point. Casting Success - apart from Sylar being Spock, i was really pleased with how the cast performed overall. Scotty had a few forced lines, Bones had a few forced lines, but the majority of the dialogue and even some of the 'necessary' lines to connect the characters with their predecessors were organic, naturally flowing from the circumstances. The ensemble worked well together, and i hope that they don't squabble over money and make it easy for the studio to bring them together at least once more, if not a couple more times for explosiony goodness and lens flare action.
This film is pretty much a must-see in the theatre, and if my wife loved it, then that means the sci-fi-ness and the Trekishness of the film are not distractions to the uninitiate. even though i had to tell her why a couple lines were supposed to be funny, she 'got' how the characters interacted, and that was communicated well by the filmmaker and actors. The pacing is great, the images are powerful, and the plot moves along without too many tangents. I'm sure i will own this on DVD, particularly if there is a special edition!
Terminator: Salvation
This is one of the few times that i have disagreed with the aggregate score on RottenTomatoes.com. this website takes each of the reviews available in print or on the web and either considers it a positive or negative review - then, they give each movie a score on this 'tomatometer.' for instance, Terminator: Salvation got a %, meaning that only 3 out of 10 reviewers were mostly positive of this film.
The only way i can make sense of this is that the majority of reviewers had unrealistic expectations for this film. I went to see it with very low expectations, and came away really enjoying it! For someone to dislike it as much as these reviewers must have, they probably were expecting T2 again - but alas, James Cameron is nowhere to be found.
Notice how i'm not saying that about Linda Hamilton or the Governator.
Anyways, i really had a good time with this film, viewing it under the premise of: i want explosions, a decent story, and something to think about after it's over. Terminator: Salvation delivers all of those things. Lots of sweet explosions - the use of sound and light in some of the actions scenes makes these the most unique explosions in the summer movie season. Bale does indeed play a pretty static character, as he has been criticized in the proper reviews, but i wasn't distracted by his relatively monotone portrayal of John Connor. In a post-apocalyptic world, i don't know that my own personality would have too many levels if all you saw were the hectic action sequences of my life.
Consistent with the rest of the Terminator films, however, the Connors aren't really the stars. The ubiquitous Bale has great presence onscreen here, but his intensity is matched by newcomer Sam Worthington. He really does steal the attention away from Bale, but i'm pretty sure that's by design... at least, as much design as McG is capable of.
i'll post my thoughts on Up, Transformers 2, and Public Enemies as soon as i get a chance to sit still for a while!
- there must be explosions
- there must be visuals that demand to be in your face
- there must be explosions
- there must be some sort of story being told in between explosions
so this summer, we've already seen a couple movies, so i'll give my thoughts on those:
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
if this is the first of a franchise of Wolverine and/or X-men Origins movies, i am very sad. I love comics, and even though i love DC a little more than Marvel, i still voraciously consume trade paperbacks and graphic novel collections of the plotlines of pretty much every major player in both DC and Marvel (thank the Lord for the public library!). This fact, however, is mostly what made Wolverine so un-enjoyable for me. I KNOW THE SOURCE MATERIAL. and not even as much as someone who is a 'fan' of Wolverine might know it - and thus, i was sorely disappointed. This movie strays from some of the most complex, nuanced backstory available in comicdom into a land of implausible (even for a COMIC), foolish set pieces that aren't even connected together well.
What does it have going for it? the intro sequence is smooth. the two legitimate fight scenes are eye candy. There are a couple of good explosions. Jackman still evokes the essence of Wolverine (seen best in X-2). Seeing the Weapon-X crew in their ONE, short scene together was pretty interesting, but all of the things that were done well were done too briefly.
The movie's pacing leaves you little time for actually getting too caught up in all the flaws... they kind of hit you like a small car as you are leaving the theatre trying to remember what you liked about the movie.
Should you see it...? Maybe. if you're a popcorn-flick person, there are better summer movies on which to spend your money. it's worth renting on DVD if you're a fan of the comics, but there's basically no way that they can entice me to buy the DVD at this point - the plot (or lack thereof) of this film is beyond redemption.
Star Trek
Growing up on Star Trek: The Next Generation, i have a pretty significant stake in Trekdom. As much as the Star Wars films informed my adolescent imagination, the Star Trek mythos was passed down to me from my dad and is a beloved part of my childhood. I remember watching 'the Wrath of KKKHHHAAAAAAAAANN' when i was probably 12, and thinking that Kirk and Spock were looking a little old already... i remember seeing 'the Undiscovered Country' in the theatre and being pretty impressed, and then 'First Contact' brought the ST:TNG crew onto the big screen successfully.
J.J. Abrams has been successful in this attempt, in many ways. Financial Success - even with less hype, i think this film would have grossed just as much on its own merit. But, being one of the bigger movies of the summer, it is guaranteed a sequel on its financial success alone. sad how Hollywood sees things that way... Technical Success - although over-hyped as having some sort of newer, fancier special effects, i do have to agree that this film utilized massive effects shots and epic CGI sequences very, very well - i never felt like i was being hit over the head with an explosion or an effects scene, but it always felt like just enough to be the exclamation point. Casting Success - apart from Sylar being Spock, i was really pleased with how the cast performed overall. Scotty had a few forced lines, Bones had a few forced lines, but the majority of the dialogue and even some of the 'necessary' lines to connect the characters with their predecessors were organic, naturally flowing from the circumstances. The ensemble worked well together, and i hope that they don't squabble over money and make it easy for the studio to bring them together at least once more, if not a couple more times for explosiony goodness and lens flare action.
This film is pretty much a must-see in the theatre, and if my wife loved it, then that means the sci-fi-ness and the Trekishness of the film are not distractions to the uninitiate. even though i had to tell her why a couple lines were supposed to be funny, she 'got' how the characters interacted, and that was communicated well by the filmmaker and actors. The pacing is great, the images are powerful, and the plot moves along without too many tangents. I'm sure i will own this on DVD, particularly if there is a special edition!
Terminator: Salvation
This is one of the few times that i have disagreed with the aggregate score on RottenTomatoes.com. this website takes each of the reviews available in print or on the web and either considers it a positive or negative review - then, they give each movie a score on this 'tomatometer.' for instance, Terminator: Salvation got a %, meaning that only 3 out of 10 reviewers were mostly positive of this film.
The only way i can make sense of this is that the majority of reviewers had unrealistic expectations for this film. I went to see it with very low expectations, and came away really enjoying it! For someone to dislike it as much as these reviewers must have, they probably were expecting T2 again - but alas, James Cameron is nowhere to be found.
Notice how i'm not saying that about Linda Hamilton or the Governator.
Anyways, i really had a good time with this film, viewing it under the premise of: i want explosions, a decent story, and something to think about after it's over. Terminator: Salvation delivers all of those things. Lots of sweet explosions - the use of sound and light in some of the actions scenes makes these the most unique explosions in the summer movie season. Bale does indeed play a pretty static character, as he has been criticized in the proper reviews, but i wasn't distracted by his relatively monotone portrayal of John Connor. In a post-apocalyptic world, i don't know that my own personality would have too many levels if all you saw were the hectic action sequences of my life.
Consistent with the rest of the Terminator films, however, the Connors aren't really the stars. The ubiquitous Bale has great presence onscreen here, but his intensity is matched by newcomer Sam Worthington. He really does steal the attention away from Bale, but i'm pretty sure that's by design... at least, as much design as McG is capable of.
i'll post my thoughts on Up, Transformers 2, and Public Enemies as soon as i get a chance to sit still for a while!
Thursday, May 07, 2009
wordpress vs. blogger
i can't decide.
but, i'm going to toss my 2cents into a collaborative blog, akin to the Rabbit Room, called The Lost Road.
not to be confused with the road less traveled.
anyways, check it out.
but, i'm going to toss my 2cents into a collaborative blog, akin to the Rabbit Room, called The Lost Road.
not to be confused with the road less traveled.
anyways, check it out.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
to tweet or not to tweet
listening to NPR and 101.1 (Boortz, mostly) - i've caught up on the hot topics and buzzwords of the news media. i don't have cable or even decent reception at home to be able to watch Fox, CNN, MSNBC, or the local news, so the talk radio stuff suffices. i can't imagine how sick i'd be of some of these topics if i ALSO had the TV news stations telling me what to think...
pirates
the torture memos
Miss California's answer...
Twitter
the only one i really care to think about is the twitter-related buzz.
at The Rabbit Room, they've been talking about it... Oprah recently had an episode, Colbert had the founder of twitter on the Report, Larry King had the users racing to 1mil on his show... it's getting its 15minutes of too-much-fame.
i was anti-twitter since its inception, because it seemed like a facebook-status-clone to me, and that's overkill. i was just getting used to the evolution of AIM away messages --> facebook status. NOW, i have to re-adjust to facebook status -->twitter feed. the reason i started tweeting was because i was seeking some information about a web-business, and when i couldn't find it on their site i tried to check their tweets, but i had to log in to do this... and thus i was hooked.
there's something fascinating to me about the blurring of lines between online communities and physical communities, and that blurred place is where i'm headed. i'm not content to just have lots of facebook friends or 'followers,' i want to have real conversations with these persons as well - i want to break bread with them, and if it only happens once and we then communicate only via twitter direct messages for a few months, i'm ok with that.
as long as there is the mix happening... don't let me just engage on twitter and facebook if we live in the same community, or are worshipping together, or both love Whedondom.
pirates
the torture memos
Miss California's answer...
the only one i really care to think about is the twitter-related buzz.
at The Rabbit Room, they've been talking about it... Oprah recently had an episode, Colbert had the founder of twitter on the Report, Larry King had the users racing to 1mil on his show... it's getting its 15minutes of too-much-fame.
i was anti-twitter since its inception, because it seemed like a facebook-status-clone to me, and that's overkill. i was just getting used to the evolution of AIM away messages --> facebook status. NOW, i have to re-adjust to facebook status -->twitter feed. the reason i started tweeting was because i was seeking some information about a web-business, and when i couldn't find it on their site i tried to check their tweets, but i had to log in to do this... and thus i was hooked.
there's something fascinating to me about the blurring of lines between online communities and physical communities, and that blurred place is where i'm headed. i'm not content to just have lots of facebook friends or 'followers,' i want to have real conversations with these persons as well - i want to break bread with them, and if it only happens once and we then communicate only via twitter direct messages for a few months, i'm ok with that.
as long as there is the mix happening... don't let me just engage on twitter and facebook if we live in the same community, or are worshipping together, or both love Whedondom.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
i haven't forgotten...
...this blog. not by a long shot.
instead, i've been kind of haunted by it. i have a stack of books and several links all describing "evangelical," and i've been slowly picking through them while also reading tons of graphic novels, a couple books on emergent church stuff, and two Newbigin books. my wife thinks i read all the time but i feel like i'm never able to read!
i've got probably the first 1/3 of my definition of 'evangelical' done, but the hard part is what's had me hung up for 3 months... i have to find a reconciliation between all the voices claiming authority over the term!
..to be continued..
instead, i've been kind of haunted by it. i have a stack of books and several links all describing "evangelical," and i've been slowly picking through them while also reading tons of graphic novels, a couple books on emergent church stuff, and two Newbigin books. my wife thinks i read all the time but i feel like i'm never able to read!
i've got probably the first 1/3 of my definition of 'evangelical' done, but the hard part is what's had me hung up for 3 months... i have to find a reconciliation between all the voices claiming authority over the term!
..to be continued..
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, November 06, 2008
in defense of... pt. 3
this one is going to be a tough one... because it demands, in its own way, the complementary defense as well...
in defense of... CU Divinity School.
the complementary defense would be, in defense of... being an Evangelical.
that's right... i've had enough conversations with 'conservative' and Evangelical friends that i feel like i can/need to summarize the things that i've had to repeat... and, i have enough friends who are moderate/liberal that i've had to implicitly defend my decision to align with Evangelicalism, and i'd like to summarize my statements to them also...
maybe, this post should instead be, in defense of... a third way.
any thoughts on which way i should take this?
in defense of... CU Divinity School.
the complementary defense would be, in defense of... being an Evangelical.
that's right... i've had enough conversations with 'conservative' and Evangelical friends that i feel like i can/need to summarize the things that i've had to repeat... and, i have enough friends who are moderate/liberal that i've had to implicitly defend my decision to align with Evangelicalism, and i'd like to summarize my statements to them also...
maybe, this post should instead be, in defense of... a third way.
any thoughts on which way i should take this?
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
obligatory political post
as stated on Stuff Christians Like, as a believer i must now post something political.
although a small part of me is very interested in some sarcastic comments, or trying to craft some wonderfully deep and/or spiritual comment that summarizes a Christian response to what's going on...
but frankly, i'm just not in that place. rather than a pastoral post or a philosophical post...
i choose to wait.
although i am an extrovert, there are times where i'm content to play the wallflower, to sit back and observe, listen, reflect.
this is one of those times for me, so i reserve my sarcasm, my deep thoughts, and my spiritual perspectives... i choose to wait and see.
although a small part of me is very interested in some sarcastic comments, or trying to craft some wonderfully deep and/or spiritual comment that summarizes a Christian response to what's going on...
but frankly, i'm just not in that place. rather than a pastoral post or a philosophical post...
i choose to wait.
although i am an extrovert, there are times where i'm content to play the wallflower, to sit back and observe, listen, reflect.
this is one of those times for me, so i reserve my sarcasm, my deep thoughts, and my spiritual perspectives... i choose to wait and see.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
in defense of... pt.2
this week -
in defense of:
Buffy
that's right, the Vampire Slayer.
i've mentioned stuff about Whedon, Buffy, and Firefly before in the course of my blogging, but i need to set the record straight on some things.
From a personal, narrative perspective: i caught some episodes of Firefly on Sci-Fi before i graduated and consequently stopped getting cable TV (too expensive). My wife and I watched the 1-season series, then watched the follow-up movie Serenity - and cried at key points of the movie. Is it an intentionally emotional movie...? not necessarily. it's an action flick with great dialogue and an engaging plot - but what led us to tears was the death of a character who we had grown to love in only 14 episodes of the show.
how did we get to this point?!
the structure of the character arcs, the flow of the plotlines, the brilliantly nuanced universe in which everything takes place - Joss Whedon had crafted a phenomenal piece of art, and we got hooked.
as one thing leads to another, i went from Whedon's Firefly to Whedon's run on 'Astonishing X-men.' now, i grew up on the old X-men cartoon show, and have read pretty much every trade paperback of X-men available at B&N or the library, and Whedon's current arc has some of the best interaction of these established, complex characters that i've ever read. i wonder what his draft of X-men the movie would have been like...
from the comics, i was drawn closer to Buffy: the Vampire Slayer. Sarah had watched the show growing up, so she remembered it fondly and recommended that we check it out. In order to disguise my true movites and maintain the facade of stubbornness, i bought it "for her" at her birthday last year. We watched season 1, and although it was a little weak, i was starting to dig the characters. I then bought her season 2 for Christmas, and thus begins our real journey. During one of Amazon's amazing sales, we bought the box set of the series, and then for the heck of it bought the box set for Angel, the "spin-off" series, as well.
over the past 8 months, we have indulged in some of the best TV ever made, through 7 seasons of Buffy and we'll be finishing the 5th season of Angel this week, most likely.
I'm not one to lavish compliments on anything or anyone, contrary to the tone of this post. I really want that to be clear, because it will give better context for the many, many compliments i will exude in the course of a conversation about Buffy and/or Whedon's work.
Certainly, the title of the show is a little silly - you can't really say "Buffy" without smirking. The sheer variety of topics, themes, directing styles, and plot arcs in this show keep one involved mentally long after the TV is turned off - and THAT is key to telling a good story. In addition to my not being very complimentary of things/people, i am also very ANTI-bandwagon. I am ANTI-trend (with a few exceptions), and thus my stubborn attitude toward Buffy for so long - it's silly, it has a girl lead character, and there's a bunch of nerds who write books and talk about this stuff, and i'm definitely not going to join their club.
Now, i find myself wanting to at least peek in the window of a club meeting. The characters and stories in the Buffy 'universe' allow for some really deep and diverse philosophical conversation, even spiritual conversation, if one is familiar with the themes and mythology. knowing Joseph Campbell's work has helped give me a great framework for understanding the Buffy story.
To close off my ranting defense of Buffy (please comment with specific questions or critiques you may have of the show/writers/etc), i have one nagging, interesting thought: Whedon is an avowed agnostic/atheist. And yet, some of his stories are more potently spiritual than things i have read/seen produced by Christian media. In a similar way to Orson Scott Card's phenomenal grasp on interpersonal/emotional relationships within a spiritual framework, yet he is a Mormon... I can't quite get my head around how/why this phenomenon occurs - someone with very different conclusions, or very different presuppositions, can produce something that moves ME spiritually, in most cases closer to Who i believe is that Author of Truth...
in defense of:
Buffy
that's right, the Vampire Slayer.
i've mentioned stuff about Whedon, Buffy, and Firefly before in the course of my blogging, but i need to set the record straight on some things.
From a personal, narrative perspective: i caught some episodes of Firefly on Sci-Fi before i graduated and consequently stopped getting cable TV (too expensive). My wife and I watched the 1-season series, then watched the follow-up movie Serenity - and cried at key points of the movie. Is it an intentionally emotional movie...? not necessarily. it's an action flick with great dialogue and an engaging plot - but what led us to tears was the death of a character who we had grown to love in only 14 episodes of the show.
how did we get to this point?!
the structure of the character arcs, the flow of the plotlines, the brilliantly nuanced universe in which everything takes place - Joss Whedon had crafted a phenomenal piece of art, and we got hooked.
as one thing leads to another, i went from Whedon's Firefly to Whedon's run on 'Astonishing X-men.' now, i grew up on the old X-men cartoon show, and have read pretty much every trade paperback of X-men available at B&N or the library, and Whedon's current arc has some of the best interaction of these established, complex characters that i've ever read. i wonder what his draft of X-men the movie would have been like...
from the comics, i was drawn closer to Buffy: the Vampire Slayer. Sarah had watched the show growing up, so she remembered it fondly and recommended that we check it out. In order to disguise my true movites and maintain the facade of stubbornness, i bought it "for her" at her birthday last year. We watched season 1, and although it was a little weak, i was starting to dig the characters. I then bought her season 2 for Christmas, and thus begins our real journey. During one of Amazon's amazing sales, we bought the box set of the series, and then for the heck of it bought the box set for Angel, the "spin-off" series, as well.
over the past 8 months, we have indulged in some of the best TV ever made, through 7 seasons of Buffy and we'll be finishing the 5th season of Angel this week, most likely.
I'm not one to lavish compliments on anything or anyone, contrary to the tone of this post. I really want that to be clear, because it will give better context for the many, many compliments i will exude in the course of a conversation about Buffy and/or Whedon's work.
Certainly, the title of the show is a little silly - you can't really say "Buffy" without smirking. The sheer variety of topics, themes, directing styles, and plot arcs in this show keep one involved mentally long after the TV is turned off - and THAT is key to telling a good story. In addition to my not being very complimentary of things/people, i am also very ANTI-bandwagon. I am ANTI-trend (with a few exceptions), and thus my stubborn attitude toward Buffy for so long - it's silly, it has a girl lead character, and there's a bunch of nerds who write books and talk about this stuff, and i'm definitely not going to join their club.
Now, i find myself wanting to at least peek in the window of a club meeting. The characters and stories in the Buffy 'universe' allow for some really deep and diverse philosophical conversation, even spiritual conversation, if one is familiar with the themes and mythology. knowing Joseph Campbell's work has helped give me a great framework for understanding the Buffy story.
To close off my ranting defense of Buffy (please comment with specific questions or critiques you may have of the show/writers/etc), i have one nagging, interesting thought: Whedon is an avowed agnostic/atheist. And yet, some of his stories are more potently spiritual than things i have read/seen produced by Christian media. In a similar way to Orson Scott Card's phenomenal grasp on interpersonal/emotional relationships within a spiritual framework, yet he is a Mormon... I can't quite get my head around how/why this phenomenon occurs - someone with very different conclusions, or very different presuppositions, can produce something that moves ME spiritually, in most cases closer to Who i believe is that Author of Truth...
Sunday, October 12, 2008
in defense of...
i think i'm going to start a psuedo-series of posts responding to some common critiques i hear from people in my community.
the first in this series is:
in defense of...
video games.
i am frequently caught up in conversations where video games are derided for one reason or another, and usually implicitly. it seems to me that the prevailing social assumption is that video games are for kids, and kids alone, and that at some magical point in one's life a person will transcend video games and finally find pleasurable entertainment in classic novels and political conversations.
persons inevitably "grow out" of video games.
right?
this may have been true in the 80's
this may have also been true in the 90's
but we are almost in the TEENS, now, and 30 years brings generational change.
in these 30 years, we have seen many shifts - the definition of 'adolescence' has broadened, age of marriage has shifted later, child-bearing ages have shifted, and thus media and their corresponding markets are shifting.
it is valid to perceive video games as a marketing media, in the same way that popular novels, current movies, and social networking websites are marketing media.
now, does one "grow out" of novels? certainly not. ask any of the adults reading 'Twilight.'
does one grow out of popular movies? perhaps, but only for lack of money to afford 'blockbuster' summers and 'record-breaking' ticket sales. otherwise, certainly not.
does one "grow out" of social networking websites? perhaps one grows INTO them, as millions upon millions of ever-diverse age-groups indicate, but as of now one merely grows into a new site as opposed to "out" of them altogether. (ie., myspace -> facebook)
my contention is that contemporary video games and gaming systems blur the lines of entertainment media in new ways pretty much every 6 months, and thus there is a need for new language regarding this particular medium.
one of the things that motivated me to write this post is the fact that i just finished playing through a game called Mass Effect. This game contained a very intriguing and original plotline, a cast of phenomenal voice actors, and relatively engaging gameplay. i really felt like i was part of the narrative, involved in the relationships that occured therein.
NOT unlike getting caught up in the relational narrative of Lost or Grey's Anatomy.
NOT unlike watching a movie in HD at home or on the silver screen in Cary or Raleigh
it just so happens that the player is involved in the decisions of the story, and the visuals are entirely CGI instead of mostly.
this gaming experience for me was somewhere between watching a movie/reading a sci-fi novel. instead of turning pages, i was pressing a button. instead of reading alone, i was alternately watching, thinking, reading, choosing, watching, reflecting.
this game, as well as many others, seeks to tell a story, and a meaningful one at that. concepts of purpose, destiny, theology, inevitability, prejudice, and the definition of "life" are integrated into the story and action, so that if one isn't careful, they may actually learn something in the process of playing a "simple" video game.
one of the residual, negative comments about video gaming is that it is an individualized, reclusive, anti-social thing to do with one's time.
i could write a whole separate post on the validity of gaming in the realm of social networking, but i'll summarize in a few points:
- all 3 major consoles let you connect with friends in several ways: voice and video chat, text messages, gaming parties, and soon you can watch movies together in two separate locations.
- there is a marked increase in games being produced with "cooperative content" and/or multiplayer components. in fact, a game is now considered sub-par if there is not a cooperative element or online compatibility.
- for non-digital social networking, it is worth noting that the Wii serves as a very capable party-game console, and the Scene-It games for xbox360 make for great game nights with larger groups of people.
people who say "oh, he/she just sits around playing video games" are betraying their misunderstandings rooted in generational separation and lack of cultural relevance.
of course, when i get so caught up in a game that i neglect interaction with my wife, i'm at fault. one must do all things in moderation, with consideration for the family and community context. face-to-face interaction is arguably more meaningful than the digital kind of interaction.
but, it's a lot of fun to get worked up in a game of Halo3 with my wife and some of the youth from church all playing together, from our respective homes.
the first in this series is:
in defense of...
video games.
i am frequently caught up in conversations where video games are derided for one reason or another, and usually implicitly. it seems to me that the prevailing social assumption is that video games are for kids, and kids alone, and that at some magical point in one's life a person will transcend video games and finally find pleasurable entertainment in classic novels and political conversations.
persons inevitably "grow out" of video games.
right?
this may have been true in the 80's
this may have also been true in the 90's
but we are almost in the TEENS, now, and 30 years brings generational change.
in these 30 years, we have seen many shifts - the definition of 'adolescence' has broadened, age of marriage has shifted later, child-bearing ages have shifted, and thus media and their corresponding markets are shifting.
it is valid to perceive video games as a marketing media, in the same way that popular novels, current movies, and social networking websites are marketing media.
now, does one "grow out" of novels? certainly not. ask any of the adults reading 'Twilight.'
does one grow out of popular movies? perhaps, but only for lack of money to afford 'blockbuster' summers and 'record-breaking' ticket sales. otherwise, certainly not.
does one "grow out" of social networking websites? perhaps one grows INTO them, as millions upon millions of ever-diverse age-groups indicate, but as of now one merely grows into a new site as opposed to "out" of them altogether. (ie., myspace -> facebook)
my contention is that contemporary video games and gaming systems blur the lines of entertainment media in new ways pretty much every 6 months, and thus there is a need for new language regarding this particular medium.
one of the things that motivated me to write this post is the fact that i just finished playing through a game called Mass Effect. This game contained a very intriguing and original plotline, a cast of phenomenal voice actors, and relatively engaging gameplay. i really felt like i was part of the narrative, involved in the relationships that occured therein.
NOT unlike getting caught up in the relational narrative of Lost or Grey's Anatomy.
NOT unlike watching a movie in HD at home or on the silver screen in Cary or Raleigh
it just so happens that the player is involved in the decisions of the story, and the visuals are entirely CGI instead of mostly.
this gaming experience for me was somewhere between watching a movie/reading a sci-fi novel. instead of turning pages, i was pressing a button. instead of reading alone, i was alternately watching, thinking, reading, choosing, watching, reflecting.
this game, as well as many others, seeks to tell a story, and a meaningful one at that. concepts of purpose, destiny, theology, inevitability, prejudice, and the definition of "life" are integrated into the story and action, so that if one isn't careful, they may actually learn something in the process of playing a "simple" video game.
one of the residual, negative comments about video gaming is that it is an individualized, reclusive, anti-social thing to do with one's time.
i could write a whole separate post on the validity of gaming in the realm of social networking, but i'll summarize in a few points:
- all 3 major consoles let you connect with friends in several ways: voice and video chat, text messages, gaming parties, and soon you can watch movies together in two separate locations.
- there is a marked increase in games being produced with "cooperative content" and/or multiplayer components. in fact, a game is now considered sub-par if there is not a cooperative element or online compatibility.
- for non-digital social networking, it is worth noting that the Wii serves as a very capable party-game console, and the Scene-It games for xbox360 make for great game nights with larger groups of people.
people who say "oh, he/she just sits around playing video games" are betraying their misunderstandings rooted in generational separation and lack of cultural relevance.
of course, when i get so caught up in a game that i neglect interaction with my wife, i'm at fault. one must do all things in moderation, with consideration for the family and community context. face-to-face interaction is arguably more meaningful than the digital kind of interaction.
but, it's a lot of fun to get worked up in a game of Halo3 with my wife and some of the youth from church all playing together, from our respective homes.
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