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Cars
Directed By John Lasseter and Joe Ranft

Published Issue #17


Well, Pixar has done it again.

As Disney seems to lose its footing, I applaud their choice to team up with Pixar, a studio which certainly seems to understand and love what they do. Although Cars does not quite live up to Pixar's other masterpieces, it certainly makes the grade.

Plot-wise, Cars is not terribly original. Hot-shot city slicker meets "country bumpkins," learns the true meaning of life, and comes away the better for it. However, the unique use of cars instead of people adds a novel twist. The movie also deals with consumerism, enviromentalism, and a traditional old generation v. new generation. There is romance, action, suspense...everything you want out of a movie.

As with many cg movies, the effects are half the appeal. I was fortunate enough to see this movie with a game-design student, so I had all the little animation details pointed out to me. I think it helped my enjoyment of the movie. Even though I'm certainly not an expert, I found the graphics amazing, smooth, and stylistic but consistant.

My favorite part of the movie was the soundtrack. I thought all the songs were well chosen and well placed, and really helped the flow of the movie. Due I think greatly to the music, the movie had the gripping, encompassing feeling which I haven't felt in a kids movie in awhile.

Now, for those of you who've seen the previews and have been unimpressed, I would like to introduce a simple formula which my friend and I have come to depend on. Don't worry, this doesn't involve math. Quite simple, the best movies tend to have the worse ads, and via se versa. From the previews, I though Cars looked kind of stupid, but I realy enjoyed it and am glad I didn' trust my first impression.

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Got a bone to pick with the reviewer? Want to suggest a work for review? Dying to hear about a new media or genre? Contact Rushifa with your questions and comments.

Game Review: Okami
Directed By Hideki Kamiya
Review By Rushifa

Published Issue #20





Now, I'll be the first to admit that I'm by no means an expert when it comes to video games, but Okami is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Style-wise, Okami takes tradition Japanese ink-paintings, and makes a game out of their aesthetic. You play as a lupine incarnation of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, and it is you duty to save the land of Nippon for disaster. You're accompanied by bug-like little man who leads you through the game.

Fans of Zelda will feel especially nostalgic as they play this game, because it uses a lot of the real-time conditions which made the N64 game so enticing. Perhaps the most unique part of the game is the ink-brush: by pushing a button, you are able to actually paint on the screen using the analog stick. This comes in handy when you're being attacked, and is also an important part of the plot as you learn new brush strokes and can reach new levels.

Okami is overflowing with Japanese cultural references, themes, and familiar faces, so if you have interest or knowledge in such things this game is definitely for you. However, the game draws you in whether you have prior knowledge of the mythos or not. If you have not yet played Okami, I greatly recommend getting your hands on a copy of it. You won’t be sorry.

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Got a bone to pick with the reviewer? Want to suggest a work for review? Dying to hear about a new media or genre? Contact Rushifa with your questions and comments.

Movie Review: Eragon
Directed by Stefen Fangmeier
Novel by Christopher Paolini
Review by Rushifa




I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, and assume that Eragon made for a better book than a movie. I can see where 500 pages of actual character and plot development could make it a passingly interesting book. In book form, it would also be blissfully easy to escape when the "plot" got to you, or throw against a wall when you simply couldn't take the predictability any more. But I digress. This review is on the movie, not the book, so I will save all personal comments on Paolini's intelligence until I've actually given it a good read.

So. The movie. If you value your sanity, intelligence, and free time, don't waste $5+ on Eragon. If you must see it, at least wait for it to come out on video. And make sure to have some alcohol handy (or some sugar, or sleep deprivation, for you young'ens out there).

The characters of Eragon are boring at best. The acting is too bad to really let you connect with any of the characters, and certainly not the title character. Besides that, they're all people you've seen before. Eragon is an insignificant farming boy, dealing with all those pesky drama's of being 17. You also have The Master, The Elf, The Evil Henchman, the Evil Lord, etc ad nasium.

And then there's the plot. If you're a fan of Harry Potter, play dnd, and are familiar with the Lord of the Rings movies at least, then you'll probably enjoy Eragon (if you can get passed the characters). However, if you've actually read Lord of the Rings, and are familiar with other major fantasy novels (namely the Earthsea Series, the Pern Series, and any children's book involving having your very own dragon), you'll be rolling your eyes before the movie even picks up steam. I found nothing original about the plot. On a basic level, it follows Star Wars: A New Hope. Only Eragon lacks all the novelty and 70s charm which made the original Star Wars movies popular. There's a down-and-out farmer's nephew, a princess in distress, a de-bunked old master, an evil lord, a rebel force, etc, etc. I can't wait for Yoda.

The only saving grace to the movie is that, somehow, they actual spent money on it. Not in hiring actors, mind you, but in graphics. The dragon looks pretty good, and down right adorable in her first appearance, and the flying and battle scenes are interesting if dizzying. The pleasing scenery also improves the viewing experience a bit, but, in my opinion, it’s too little, too later. If you must go, bring a few friends so at least you can make witty commentary to keep yourself from falling asleep.

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Eragon, the novel, at Amazon.com

Got a bone to pick with the reviewer? Want to suggest a work for review? Dying to hear about a new media or genre? Contact Rushifa with your questions and comments.

lol, that's one of the wonderful things about having read the book before seeing the movie-even if it sucks, you can still have a good laugh by making fun of it the whole time. I'm sorry to say, my cynical mention of the book was actually based on my attempt to read it before. Long before the movie was announced, I bought the book, and tried to start it. Couldn't get passed the first chapter. Since then, I've been able to get a little farther, but not much. I wont write a review on it since I haven't finished it, and I certainly can't speak towards the sequal (I hear it's better written), but the basic machanics of the book were, frankly, bad. The writing was lazy and elementary, in ways that even books aimed at young readers don't need to be. He simply wasn't a very good writer. The plot may be interesting, and I can see how once you get into the book it could be fun, but what I read was very unoriginal. Unless they completely changed everything about the plot for the movie, my opinion on that matter stands.

On a lighter note, I have lots of good friends to love the books, so I'm not saying they have no merit, or should never be read. I know someday I'll force my way through the books, and I'm sure by the end I'll be enjoying myself, but I still say that the basics which it is built on are unskilled and unoriginal. I'd love to be proven wrong 3nodding

Movie Review: Dream Girls

I am always a sucker for a musical. Especially when the soundtrack is as good as the one for Dreamgirls. Set in the 60s, it follows the careers of three female soul singers as they rise to fame, and the costs that go with it.

Overall, the beginning of the movie felt a bit rushed. Up until about the half way point, all the scenes seemed shoved together. The plot jumped over entire months, and between each shot of a character dramatic things in their lives had changed. When really dramatic stuff started happening, I was already desensitized. I felt on such loose footing with the characters anyway, that the possible upheaval of their way of life seemed like just another scene transition. There were also a great deal of characters to keep track of, and it wasn;t until near near the middle that I actually understood who was related to who, who was dating who, etc.

The second half of the movie was much better. At the half mark, it suddenly took the step from being a movie-with-a-strong-musical-backup to an all-out musical, which actually came as a bit jarring. However, from that point on it really took off. I got a better sense of the characters, and the plot, and was able to just sit back and relax.