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Reviews
Steven Universe (2013)
One of the most clever and unique shows on TV, though held back by a couple flaws
It's been nice seeing shows such as Adventure Time cause a resurgence in quality original CN programming. Steven Universe is a direct result of this resurgence, and is one of the most daring shows to come out of it.
There is an overarching plot, but the main focus is in the characters and the way in which they deal with their own personal issues. And it becomes incredibly intriguing to see how "real" these issues can get. Amethyst deals with confidence in her own capability despite having birth circumstances that make her feel doomed to be objectively inferior. Pearl has attachment issues to a lost-love, with whom she already had an unhealthy obsession to that caused her to be self-destructive. Steven is pretty self-confident and surprisingly inspirational to the rest of the much more capable gems, but also has identity issues and issues with his mother who is a big mystery through most of the show. Garnet is pretty composed mostly, but she's just a joy to watch overall regardless. And a few other characters, whom I'm not going to spoil as mainstays, have easily my favorite arcs in the series.
The show, thus, tackles the broad topic of "self-love" and pulls it off magnificently by approaching it from many angles at once for different characters. Which is mad impressive.
The show also pulls other things off magnificently. I've never seen a better depiction of nerd culture on TV. Big Bang Theory may star nerd characters, but it completely misunderstands the passion behind what makes it so iconic. SU gets it, and as a result is endearing when it pokes fun at it too.
The attention to music in the show is particularly phenomenal. Many of the songs are unpolished and sloppy, but they're like that because they're in the context of people singing on the spot, and different songwriters of different styles (the characters themselves) too. So Pearl might have an elegant musical theater song about heartbreak backed by piano, while Steven is rhyming stupid words with stupid phrases with elementary chords on a ukelele, while Garnet is singing along to hip-hop/pop bangers. The music is intentionally not perfect, and that's what makes it human.
The show also manages to tackle some major complex social issues in surprisingly admirable and respectable ways. No one is the "token diversity character". No one is the "token LGBTQ character". These things exist, but the show never DWELLS on it. Instead, it moves the show along by presenting a semi-utopian society where these things are simply THE NORM. No one bats an eye and no one makes a big deal over these things, and that's what makes them handled well. The show therefore never substitutes good plot for these things--instead, they're a layer on top of everything else, which is why they work without being "preachy".
That being said, the show has its faults
- Pacing is wildly inconsistent. Sometimes, it's fantastic, even during the filler. At the show's best, it knows how to transition between filler episodes and main arc episodes seamlessly while keeping both sides equally enjoyable (Seasons 2-4). At its worst, main arc episodes are super interesting while filler episodes are both uninteresting and cut away from main arc right when it's getting good (First half of Season 1, Season 5). Season 5 hit enough rough points in pacing where it started to make me slightly sour on the rest of the show.
- On the note of pacing, the show takes a LONG time to get really good. Like, 20 episodes (half-length but still a major barrier). It's still OK before that, but not great. Once you've made it past there though, the show gets mad interesting.
Despite these issues, it's an awesome show that does things that simply no other show gets quite as right. Definitely worth a watch.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Secret Box/Band Geeks (2001)
One of the best episodes of TV ever.
I'll just get this out of the way first: The Secret Box is a fantastic episode that is very quotable, very funny, and just really clever all around.
But let's get to the important stuff: Band Geeks. Band Geeks might be one of the best episodes of TV of all time. It does nothing wrong, and everything right.
Hilarious? Check.
Genuinely clever comedy that appeals both to people who know the characters and to people who have barely watched the show? Check.
Good plot holding it together? Check.
Great pacing? Check.
A truly meaningful, happy and well deserved ending for Squidward, the character who's always dumped on? Check.
An awesome song? Check.
Epic scene to accompany both the awesome song and happy ending? Check.
Super relatable to anyone who's ever played or sung in an ensemble? Check. (I know that this episode has been quoted so damn often in my college a cappella group during our rehearsals for the four years I've been in it).
Endlessly quotable? Without a doubt. Almost every single line in this episode is quotable. There's a reason that some people can collectively recall the entire script of the episode without having to re-watch it.
It's just so good. Watch it, love it, quote it, bring it to band practice.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Fantastic movie, excellent on nearly all fronts.
Let's get one thing straight: the plot is derivative. There are tons of parallels to Star Wars: A New Hope, and pretty much the same events are going on.
But what I was most surprised about was that I didn't care. I've talked with friends who have also seen it, and our consensus was that that part was obvious, but that none of us care. The reason why is because it was so well executed, and the new stuff brought to the table was probably the best parts of the movie.
For starters, let's talk the new characters, because they're the main focus: they're fantastic. Rey was an awesome and inspiring lead. Finn was fearless if not naive and brought so much enthusiasm to the movie throughout. BB-8 was surprisingly absolutely adorable--to give any examples of his behavior would be to spoil some really charming moments. Poe was a pleasant surprise, because the trailers didn't show him off much but he was an absolute joy to watch. Captain Phasma is my only complaint--heavily underutilized in this movie.
The big standout for me, however, was Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. Let it be known: he is NOT Vader 2.0. He doesn't try to be Vader 2.0. To go any further would be to spoil the movie, but trust me, he's one of the most interesting characters to come out of Star Wars in a long time.
The old cast returns and is given amazing justice. This isn't them returning right back to their characters--this is them embodying their characters as they are decades later. Harrison Ford in particular was brilliant in his role and mannerisms.
Visual effects: Outstanding. For the most part, the movie uses practical effects, and it really shows, because the movie is super engaging throughout its duration. Try to compare some of these scenes to those in any in the Star Wars prequels, and you'll see what I mean. Once again, I can't spoil details. It's funny, because there are only a handful of creatures and moments that use CG effects, and those are the ones that end up sticking out.
Writing: Also super well done. A big flaw in the prequels is that everything got mired in unnecessary and redundant details. The most quoted lines from the prequels are most often the ones that are so stupid it's hard not to forget them (the sand monologue, for example). Meanwhile, everyone I've seen can't stop quoting random pieces of dialogue from the new movie that are so well done and so memorable. The dialogue is interesting, feels real, and leaves for some amazing one-liners--super reminiscent of the original trilogy in that way.
Story: As I mentioned, yes it's derivative, but that doesn't mean it's not done super well. Plus, the scenes that have no parallels to A New Hope are some of the best in the movie. Much of the final act, for example, is not easily paralleled, and I was kept on the edge of my seat pretty much the entire movie. People here seem to be criticizing the movie for it's "plot holes". Most of these aren't even plot holes though! They're so explicitly left as mysteries so they can be answered and expanded upon in the next movie! Which is what's making people super excited for the next movie already!
Also, my biggest complaint with J.J. Abrams' other works is how convoluted and roundabout they get. But Star Wars is meant to have much more straightforward stories (also something the prequels with the exception of ROTS were not good at). J.J. Abrams seems to have acknowledged this because this movie definitely feels like Star Wars in its far more straightforward approach. It feels much less confused and mired in details, and always seems to keep the main plot line going.
Music: It's John Williams. It's memorable. Especially after seeing the movie a second time. It feels like Star Wars, and it enhances every moment wonderfully.
Lightsabers: Okay, so without spoiling anything, I will say that the lightsaber fights in this movie will blow you away. They're big, dangerous, brutal, emotive, natural, and use the environments in super interesting ways. The fights in this movie are some of the best fights I've seen in the series history.
Conclusion: Like I said, the plot frame is the same as A New Hope's. In many respects, it is the same. But it feels different than ANH, and yet it still feels like Star Wars. And it is executed so well that it was hard to even care that it followed the same frame. And the best parts of the movie are the new parts. The movie is intended to return to the heart and soul that made Star Wars so great in the first place, and it succeeds at that with flying colors. Engaging dialogue, great one-liners, awesome action sequences, a great character-driven plot, and a general captivation by the galaxy far, far away.
Also, keep in mind, I made sure to write this review only after a few days of heavily considering all of the elements of this movie, and after seeing the movie a second time. My opinion hasn't changed. In fact, it got even better (originally I gave this movie a 9).
Note, however: Now that the series is re-grounded in excellency, it's up to Rian Johnson to create an Episode VIII that takes the series to completely new places with a brand new plot based on all the brand new things this movie has brought to the table. If it doesn't, then Episode VII will be remembered as the film that spawned a rehashed series. If it does, however, then Episode VII will be remembered as an excellently-executed reintroduction to the series that had been long lost in a "meh" prequel trilogy and some very questionable Expanded Universe decisions (with the exception of stories like Thrawn and Revan).
Mass Effect 2 (2010)
The question you should ask yourself is this: Why not?
Mass Effect, which was released in 2007, blew my mind away with its integration of RPG elements into a shooter. Despite its flaws, I still crowned it as my favorite game of all time. Mass Effect 2 has become Macbeth; he's the new guy, he put ME1 out of the picture, and took its place as king.
There's four elements that need reviewing individually: the shooter aspect, the RPG aspect, the campaign itself, and the presentation.
The game feels and looks like a shooter no doubt. It seems to have a mix of a feel of Gears of War 2 and Uncharted 2, with some of its own elements for good measure. There are six weapon classes in the game: heavy pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and heavy weapons. Depending on which class you choose for your character in the beginning of the game, you'll be able to use different weapon classes. The actual combat is phenomenal, and it's always fun to try new things. What makes this game most unique in combat, however, is the military, biotic, and tech powers. Biotic powers are kind of like Force powers in Star Wars, and tech powers are technological abilities you can use to aid you in combat. Military abilities give you access to different ammo types. Depending on your character class, you will have different biotic, tech, and military abilities to use. This variation gives a great tactical and intense feel to the battlefield, and also makes your initial class choice a very important one (if I had to recommend a class for your first play-through, I'd recommend the vanguard).
The second basic element in the game is the roleplaying. The entire system has been revamped to fit the game like a glove, and it may feel like the RPG elements are a bit weak at first. However, as you play through, you'll figure out that they are without fault. The inventory, armor, and skill systems in particular, have been streamlined, not cut down, to work in favor of the game's combat elements. In time, you learn to love it. There's a system which tells you if you are acting like a righteous and heroic paragon, or as a ruthless and determined renegade. What I love even more, however, is this: I won't reveal too much due to too much spoiling, but your appearance will change in a way depending on how much of a paragon or renegade you are. The conversation system in the best I've ever seen in any game. There's the usual heroic, neutral, or bad*** comment you can say, and the potential charming and intimidating conversation options. The best part of the new system, however, is the interruption system. Ever have someone talking to you, and you really just want to punch him in the face, tell him how much of a jerk he's being, go out of your way to offer help, etc? That's what the interruption system allows you to do. You will have the option to do a paragon or renegade option while someone is talking, and if you choose to, you will...interrupt.
The campaign itself is a symbol in itself that hard work pays off. The story is outstanding, has a whole lot of suspense and twists in the plot, and is all in all presented in an unparalleled way. The characters and potential crew/squad members you will meet are all multifaceted, lovable, and diverse. You are going to have the opportunities to make each one of these people loyal to you throughout the game, and you will not want to miss out on those opportunities when they come up. The rest of the campaign sub-elements are listed with the combat and RPG elements.
This game has a nearly flawless presentation. You may encounter a game crash or sound cutting out once or twice when playing, but in a 40 hour campaign, its nothing you should be worried about in the least bit. Everything in the presentation of the game is great. The artistic design is unparalleled (actually, it's around equal to Bioshock's, so yes, unparalleled :)). The graphics, lighting, and attention to detail cannot be better. The character models look as close to real life as possible. A few people have seen me during dialog segments and have actually thought I was watching a movie. It wasn't until I told them that they realized it was a game. There are a few people (ahem, Martin Sheen playing the Illusive Man) who stand out above the rest, but either way, there is nary a bad note in the voice acting for the game. On that note, Mass Effect 2 has integrated dramatic camera angles into the dialogs at points. Alongside everything else, they fit in very well. You'll be hard pressed to find another game that has a presentation as good as this. And please, don't mention Uncharted 2. This game has either equal or better presentation.
All in all, Mass Effect 2 is a brilliant work of art that has no match. Every aspect of the game is great; roleplaying, shooter aspects, cinematic experiences, art style, character design, graphical presentation, and voice acting are all here. At the same time, all these aspects are presented with flying colors! It's also a 40 hour campaign that you will want to play a second, third, and maybe fourth time around! If you have an XBox 360 or a PC, you should go out to the store right now and buy this game! It's an experience you don't want to miss!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
The squad is back, but it's currently under fire
Hard to tell, but this may contain spoilers.
Let me start out by telling what foot I am on by giving a brief impression of the prequel. I loved Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. There were so many things great about it; there was the graphics, the shooter mechanics, the campaign, the cinematic experiences, a nice well explained story, and an outstanding multi-player mode.
In Modern Warfare 2, there have been some improvements, but also some losses as well. The campaign is rich with action. The cinematic experiences are even better, the voice acting is still great, and it is still rich with action. However, there are drawbacks too. The campaign's completion time is reduced from 10-15 hours to 4-5 hours. In MW1, the formula they used was great for the mix of action, stealth, cinematic, etc. When I went through this campaign, I couldn't help but have a feeling in my mind "wait, haven't I seen all of this stuff before?" It seemed like Infinity Ward was saying "Hey, the formula for MW1 was great, let's use the exact same thing in this game!" I'm not saying it hasn't changed, but if you think about it, the core of it all hasn't changed at all. Lastly, the story is not explained in the least bit. I could ask at least 5 basic questions about the storyline that would be impossible to answer without me saying "wait, what?" One more thing: when playing the campaign, play at the difficulty that you're sure you can play at, as in don't try pushing yourself. It's not fun in this game when you do so. The game was designed in a way that it will just get more frustrating when you play at higher difficulty levels, and you will find yourself inevitably memorizing where enemies are and different routes on the map to get past a certain part. In most games it feels good to push beyond your limits. Not here.
Multiplayer seems to have the same effect on me with its improvements and losses. I have the PC version, so I'm just going to get it over with and say "Really, Infinity Ward? No dedicated servers? And replace it with a faulty matchmaking system?! Comon!" Multiplayer has the addition of about 15 kill-streak rewards. Some may think this is great and that it brings out the fun, but really, it just seems to make me hate the idea that these kill-streaks are specifically designed to keep the losers down, and the winners getting ridiculous amounts of kills because he has an AC-130 and no one could take it down without firing at least 3 rockets at it, which by the time you do, it will have killed you at least 4 times, and all your other teammates the same amount. Also, the tactical nuke is specifically made to make you automatically win and get another 10 kills if you get a 25 kill-streak, which just seems like a buzzkill to the other 10 players. All in all, the new kill-streaks just seem to irritate me more than not. The actual multi-player maps also have their flaws. Other call of duty multi-player games were supposed to simulate war, with a whole lot of people on the battlefield fighting it out. You didn't have to camp out or hide in the shadows to win. In MW2, the maps are specifically designed to be eye candy, and as a consequence to most of the maps, the campers cannot be stopped, and at any moment a guy could come up behind you stabbing you with a knife.It lost its war-like feel to me.
Spec ops mode is a nice addition to MW2, by the way. You replay certain moments from the campaign, MW1's campaign, and also just random awesome moments, where you must overcome a given challenge. A very fulfilling addition. There's also co-op mode, so if you have friends on XBox Live or on Steam, you can work together to complete a certain spec ops mission.
All in all, Modern Warfare 2 seems about average to me. It loses its straightforward campaign feel, a freshness in its formula, and suffers from a lack of dedicated servers on the PC version, an excessive amount of kill-streak rewards, and too much eye candy in the multi-player maps, etc etc etc. It does, however, keep good mechanics of a shooter, and has the nice addition of spec-ops mode. All I know is that with most shooters, even without a multi-player addition, I will play them for months and months without getting bored of them. With Modern Warfare 2, even with its multi-player and spec-ops additions, I got out of playing MW2 in less than two months. For a quarter of that time, it was because I was in the mood to play MW1 a lot more.