This is another really difficult category, since I’m not entirely sure what counts as a “movie.” I’ve decided to include stand-up comedy specials, mostly because it makes it really for me to make a choice. When I was about 12 years old I was sifting through several of my parents’ VHS tapes, probably looking for a tape that I could use to record something else. I came across a video tape that I never watched and it had Eddie Murphy’s Delirious on it as well as Steve Martin’s The Lonely Guy. I had never seen either of them. I first watched The Lonely Guy and then continued watching Delirious. I couldn’t get through the first ten minutes of it without laughing so hard I fell of my chair and started wheezing. I immediately called my best friend to tell him to come over. I rewinded the tape to the start of the show and we watched it again. I have never laughed so much in my entirely life.
30 Day Movie Challenge – Day 2: Least Favourite Film
So I decided to cheat and do a few posts per day. :)
The least favourite film I’ve ever seen is not an easy one to name because there have been so many that I didn’t like. I suppose that the least favourite film should have the least redeeming qualities; bad acting, shitty editing, lousy story, etc. Unfortunately, if it really would have been that bad I simply would’ve switched it off and not watched more of it. So instead of picking my least favourite, I’ll pick the one that was the most disappointing to me.
No matter how you set up your film as a film maker, there has to be some consistency. If you tell us that women can fly and men can eat stone, then fine, but then within those rules and convines remain consistent. That was the reason why I was so incredibly disappointed in the film Revolver by Guy Ritchie. I had pretty high expectation of Ritchie’s work after Lock, Stock… and Snatch, but it wasn’t just that he didn’t deliver with Revolver, but rather that after twenty minutes I thought I had gotten stuck in a David Lynch film without the internal consistency of a Lynch film that helps you suspend your disbelief. Revolver was probably supposed to be mysterious, but instead it was just frustrating. The acting was terrible and one dimensional and it couldn’t be saved by veterans Ray Liotta or Mark Strong.
30 Day Movie Challenge – Day 1: Favourite Film
So I decided to try to do the 30 day movie challenge. Instead of doing it on Facebook and annoying everyone with embedded trailers and such, I thought I’d do it here instead. Day one starts off with a bang as they ask for your favourite film and why you picked it. I think this should be the very last item on the list, so that you get 29 days to sift through your own thoughts about films and come to a particular conclusion about your favourite one. It’s like quitting a $20 a day heroine habit cold turkey.
So what does a “favourite film” require? It doesn’t have to be the “best film,” just your favourite one. So it’s the one that you’d love to see the most, with infinite rewatchability and entertainment value. There are many films in the running; Predator, Aliens, The Crow, Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, Sunshine…but I think I’ll have to settle for The Warriors.
This was probably the first film I ever got fascinated by when I discovered it on a VHS tape my parents had laying around. I love the visuals, the music and the atmosphere of the film. The story is simple but effective and the characters are strong but simple. It planted the seed for many of the fascinations and interests I have today.
It’s not the best film, but it’s likely to be my favourite film.
Fearless and Endless
I wish I was the fearless and endless well of love and support for my friends and family that some people think I am. Unfortunately I’m not. I want to take all your burdens away. I want my shoulders to be broad enough to carry all the load. I want more than anything to help, but I know that I can’t and that if I will try it won’t end well. I’m always reminded of the cabin pressure loss procedure on planes; first put the oxygen mask on your own face before helping others. You’re no use to others when you’ve suffocated. I have to make sure I take care of myself first before I take care of others, no matter how much love, respect and admiration I have for the people that I want to help.
Dragon Age: Origins – Arcane Warrior
As some of you might know, I’ve been playing Dragon Age: Origins pretty solidly for the last few weeks. I had bought Mass Effect on Steam, talked about the richness of the game with Richard and he gave me his copy of DA:O because he said it had the same depth. I started playing it a little bit, then a lot, then abandoned Mass Effect all together in favour of DA:O (to be picked up later) and now I’m pretty hooked.
The game has an over-arcing storyline, with four sub storylines and several dozen smaller storylines running through it. The four sub storylines are like separate chapters in the story that you can follow in any sequence you desire. You can either go to Castle Redcliffe, where Arl Eamon, a powerful ally has been gravely ill. You can go to the Circle of Magi, who’s tower has been overrun by deamons. You can go to the Dalish Elves, who have been set on by werewolves, or you can go to the Dwarves of Orzammar, who are currently without a king while two factions are vying for the throne.
I first went to Redcliffe, only to find out I really needed the Circle of Magi to finalise that storyline, so I went to the Circle of Magi after completing 99% of the story in Redcliffe. Then completed them both in succession and went on to the Dalish Elves, which I thought was a really solid storyline. That’s where I picked up the Arcane Warrior specialisation for my Mage. Then I went to Orzammar and completed that last night.
What I only realised in Orzammar is that heavy armour suddenly didn’t require higher strength to wear, but higher magic! I could finally take off those horrible robes and wear a kick-ass set of armour. Holy mac, the game suddenly took a turn for the awesome! The idea of the Arcane Warrior was one that I was attracted to almost immediately, but I couldn’t figure out where to unlock it, so I chose the Spirit Healer as my first specialisation. It was the most practically applicable most of the time. I usually run around with Alistair as the main tank (champion/templar), Leliana for traps, lockpicking and archery, and Wynne for the needed healing backup.
Man, if I had know how cool the arcane warrior was, I’d have done the Dalish Elves storyline first and then the rest. I think I made a lot of mistakes with my build, and unfortunately you can’t respec in the game.