Monthly Archives: June 2008
The Happening
M. Night Shyamalan has a trail of films under his belt which are known for their shocking twists and unusual situations. For a writer and director of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and thriller genre works, this isn’t anything unexpected. However, this film cast aside the usual turnabout at the end. Nobody turned out to be [...]
Super Dodgeball Brawlers
Super Dodgeball is one of the sleeper series from the early days of the 8-bit video game era. It is also a part of the popular Kunio-kun series from Japan. Dodge ball is a traditional American game played by children since the 19th century. It isn’t hard to explain. Two teams hurl a ball at [...]
Mario Kart Wii
There is very little that is new about Mario Kart Wii. The game is a decent racer. It holds up very well to its predecessors. It has a few new bells and whistles– like the inclusion of motor bikes, more racers on the track, and new weapons. This is all that Nintendo really needed to [...]
Cheating and Video Game Narrative
In all too many books and movies, the hero is saved at the last moment by the hand of God. Luck, fate, or some almighty force stands in and maintains order. Perhaps the hero finds an impossible last measure of strength. Perhaps he finds another weapon hidden among some debris. Perhaps she discovers that her [...]
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The heavy hitter media franchises of the last thirty years have all swirled around various ideas which have focused them on a variety of issues. For example, the Star Wars series has long focused on the conflict between good and evil, which is stylized both internally and externally by the characters in the series. In [...]
Iron Man
In this film iteration of the comic book legend, Iron Man follows a modern remediation of a classic hero. Here Tony Stark, portrayed by Robert Downey, Jr., is depicted as a rich playboy, which is not at all a diversion from canon, but instead his motives and values are predicated by issues which are timely [...]
