[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/avatar.mp3] Some of the best stories out there are simple stories that are well-told. A straightforward plot doesn’t necessarily make for a bad escapist experience, if there are elements of that plot that transcend its simplicity. Take District 9, for example. Aliens come to Earth in bad shape and they’re exploited by corporate douchebags. Simple,… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Avatar
Category: Reviews
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Octagon
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/octagon.mp3] Ninja… I wasn’t sure I was going to be doing this. Reviewing a Chuck Norris film from 1980 involves two problems. One is that diehard fans of the martial arts genre might chalk a lot of the problems with The Octagon up to different standards of production and fight choreography from 30 years ago.… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Octagon
Movie Review: Iron Man 2
Crank up the Black Sabbath. All right, before I go into detail about Iron Man 2, let’s get the nerd-wank out of the way first: How cool is this? We’re actually going to get a live-action Avengers movie. The threads are coming together more and more and I couldn’t help but gasp like a little… Continue reading Movie Review: Iron Man 2
Game Review: Wing Commander: Privateer
My entry for the Escapist’s Review Wars 3. The year was 1993. When it came to the childhood fantasy of space flight I still clung to with the tenacity of a baboon hanging from a branch over a cliff, two computer games had dominated most of my free time in the previous years. When I… Continue reading Game Review: Wing Commander: Privateer
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Adaptation.
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/adaptation.mp3] In case you didn’t know, writing is difficult. It’s grueling on an intellectual level, isolating on a social level and ultimately unrewarding in terms of both criticism and payment. Despite the banality of their works, Stephenie Meyer and Dan Brown are rarities, in that they’ve managed to make fortunes for themselves (and, in Ms.… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Adaptation.
Game Review: Assassin's Creed II
I’ve discussed Assassin’s Creed previously, though not at any significant length. I couldn’t even call what I said a ‘review’ with any fairness, since I only played a bit of the game. There were a few things I liked about the first game, such as the environments, the framing element of the story and the… Continue reading Game Review: Assassin's Creed II
Something A Bit Different
In addition to doing a little writing (less than usual, I’ll admit), I thought I’d try a little experiment. I recorded a little audio related to my Portal review while I had the room to myself this past Friday. I brought that audio into a program called Melodyne which, I understand, is the same software… Continue reading Something A Bit Different
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Predator
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/predator.mp3] Monster movies. People just love monster movies. Back in the 30s, the monsters were mostly human in appearance, with Dracula and The Mummy setting the stage for what came after. The 50s saw the type of monsters growing into the more surreal, with The Creature From The Black Lagoon, Them! and It Came From… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Predator
Game Review: Portal
Aperture Science Forms FORM-27991563-888: Testchamber Facility After-Action Report Per your instructions, I have begun to compile the observed and recorded data recovered following the successful completion of testing executed for and by test subject code-named “Chell.” While the repairs to the Aperture Science Computer-Aided Enrichment Center may take some time, it is with the utmost… Continue reading Game Review: Portal
Game Review: Team Fortress 2
In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I never played the original Team Fortress (now dubbed Team Fortress Classic). I don’t know if I ever had enough friends who also played that could have helped me assemble a decent team. But the appeal of the idea was never lost on me, and… Continue reading Game Review: Team Fortress 2
