Humble Pie
It’s hard not to like Tracy Orbison (Hubbel Palmer). A dopey Midwestern guy who excels as a food-stocking professional, Tracy politely and passively passes his days scribbling poems in a notebook during shift breaks and day-dreaming of making something more of himself. Although there is already a lot more of him than some think necessary. In a blinding moment of enlightenment, he enrolls in an acting class taught by a pompous Z-list has-been (played by a hilarious William Baldwin). Things don’t quite go according to plan, as a tragically comical chain of mishaps leads Tracy to take a more active role in his life by mentoring a young thug while fending off his obnoxious mother (Academy Award Nominee Kathleen Quinlan) and indifferent sister (Mary Lynn Rajskub, Julie & Julia, FOX’s “24”), all the while awkwardly attempting to conquer the elusive driver’s exam and trying to lose “about ten pounds.” A different kind of everyman, Tracy Orbison reminds us that the caution light flashes even while chasing our dreams.


Until The Light Takes Us: Dec 4
Until The Light Takes Us tells the story of black metal. Part music scene and part cultural uprising, black metal rose to worldwide notoriety in the mid-nineties when a rash of suicides, murders, and church burnings accompanied the explosive artistic growth and output of a music scene that would forever redefine what heavy metal is and what it stands for to other musicians, artists, and music fans world-wide. Directors Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell moved to Norway and lived the musicians for several years, building relationships that allowed them to create a surprisingly intimate portrait of this violent, but ultimately misunderstood, movement. The result is a poignant, moving story that’s as much about the idea that reality is composed of whatever the most people believe as it is about a music scene that blazed a path of murder and arson across the northern sky.


Collapse: Nov 6
Americans generally like to hear good news. They like to believe that a new President will right old wrongs, that clean energy will replace dirty oil, and that fresh thinking will set the economy straight. American pundits tend to restrain their pessimism and to hope for the best. But is anyone prepared for the worst? Michael Ruppert is a different kind of American. A former Los Angeles police officer turned independent reporter, he predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter “From the Wilderness” at a time when most Wall Street and Washington analysts were still in denial. Smith has always had a feeling for outsiders in films like “American Movie” and “American Job.” In “Collapse,” Smith stylistically departs from his past films by interviewing Ruppert in a format that recalls the work of Errol Morris and Spalding Gray. Sitting in a room that looks like a bunker, Ruppert recounts his career as a radical thinker and spells out the crises he sees ahead. He draws upon the same news reports and data available to any Internet user, but he applies a unique interpretation. He is especially passionate over the issue of “peak oil,” the concern raised by scientists since the 1970s that the world will eventually run out of fossil fuel. While other experts debate this issue in measured tones, Ruppert doesn’t hold back at sounding an alarm. He portrays a future that resembles apocalyptic science fiction. Listening to his rapid flow of opinions, the viewer is likely to question some of the rhetoric as paranoid or deluded; and to sway back and forth on what to make of the extremism. Smith lets viewers form their own judgments.

*As before, I'll be logging diaries after every session of game-play. Expect Spoilers.
This week I decided to have a go at Naughty Dog's sure-to-be classic Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. I would have begun sooner but as with Drake's adventures there was a snag. My PS3 died. But I'm back at it and eager to get going.

Admittedly, I wasn't the biggest Uncharted: Drake's Fortune fan. I respected its merits, but the game wasn't for me. It was floaty, and rubbery, two qualities not often praised by American gamers, except Japanophiles. I like, dare I say at the risk of persecution, beefy games. I like games that feel solid. I know, this is all really ambiguous, but hopefully this new installment will be a departure from the first.
My expectations for this game were high, I expected it to improve on the high quality of production seen in the first one. A couple of specifics that I hoped for were better aiming, less repetitive or more realistic combat confrontations and better character animation.

Half tuck is at it again.

Right from the get go I was impressed, the game starts off on a high note, in which we are made well aware of how high every aspect of production is. I've Just started the third or fourth chapter and the game is still quasi-tutorial, but it still feels really organic which is a huge accomplishment.
The story thus far has been extremely compelling and though some of the initial plot points were fairly predictable, they were nonetheless enjoyable. I hope I'm wrong on a few of these. I'm fairly certain I am. I expect to have the rugged pulled from beneath me a few more times and I can't wait.
The thing I remembered about Uncharted as soon as I began playing was how amazing everything looks from afar, and how mediocre a lot of things look on closer inspection. For instance, at first glance Nate looks absolutely fantastic with his slick jeans and bed hair(which is probably the best looking thing in the game), but the more you follow him around you start to notice a few awkward animations, his hunch back and dog legs. I also noticed a little pop-in which I thought was strange since the game proves it has a massive draw distance. But these are minor gripes, because the story more than makes up for any graphical complaints I have. Oh yeah, the action this time around is way better! The stealth is super satisfying and the gun play, although a little floaty for me, feels good enough. Though I wish there were and auto aim option. And I must say that on the whole the graphics look fabulous.


Vivid and lush and notice simple polys.


I'm not quite sure about Chloe yet. So far she's playing both sides. I'm anxious to see what happens. At least she changes shirts.

I've just started this game so expect plenty more updates.