The Browncoats Shall Rise Again: Why Firefly is Insidious and You Should Feel Bad for Liking It

Okay, so, I’m going to skewer another beloved Joss Whedon sacred cow. For those of you who really can’t stand having your favorite shows put under the microscope to illustrate their inherent flaws, I suggest you stop reading now. Seriously, I’d prefer you not read the article to you making vitriolic comments/e-mails when you’re done with it. Constructive criticism/debate is, however, welcome as always.

Like Tears in the Rain: Long-Term Concerns with Xbox One's Cloud Computing Initiative

I was reading the latest issue of Game Informer and, despite not being a fan of the Call of Duty series whatsoever, I found myself giving the extensive Titanfall article a read-through. I found the article interesting and the game, while not exactly blowing my mind (it kind of reads like a mash-up of Call of Duty with Zone of the Enders), did seem to bring some novel ideas to the table. Then I got to the reasoning Respawn offered behind making the game an Xbox One exclusive, and a thought started gnawing at the back of my mind.

The Power is Yours: Why '90s Retro Might Ultimately be a Good Thing

Just on a lark, I started watching the first season of Captain Planet and the Planeteers last week. It turns out that the passage of time has inadvertently made the show much more depressing and alarmist than it was when it aired in the early ‘90s. Yes, the show was heavy-handed and unabashedly cheesy, so much so that even Martin Sheen, Meg Ryan, Tim Curry, and LeVar Burton, among others, could not diminish said cheesiness. However, the show was aimed at kids (that’s right. I still watch kids’ cartoons. Deal with it), so the heavy-handedness is understandable, although their understanding (or lack thereof) of computers is not. The bigger topic here, though, is the fact that the show was overwhelmingly right about what we, as a society and a species, should be concerned about in regards to the environment.

Brilliant, Lazy, or Brilliantly Lazy?: BioShock Infinite

[WARNING: SPOILER ALERT] No, seriously. I plan on discussing the endings and twists of both BioShock Infinite and the original BioShock in depth. If you haven’t beaten either of those games and don’t want the plots ruined, stop reading now and go play them.

Cultural Dissonance: Musings on the State of Modern Japanese Game Development

Well, another E3 has come and gone. We, the gaming masses, got our share of debacles (apparently, anything anyone from Microsoft presented/said/touched/looked at), highlights (the straight minute of cheers at Sony’s press conference; Aisha Taylor’s hosting of UbiSoft’s press conference), and surprise reveals.

Crushing Expectations: Man of Steel

The latest Superman reboot, Man of Steel, has hit theatres.  I have to admit, I went into it fully expecting to hate it.  Zack Snyder’s previous films have all left a bad taste in my mouth.  Dawn of the Dead felt unnecessary and like a 28 Days Later cash-in; 300 was violence-porn mixed with misogyny and racism; Watchmen missed the point of the graphic novel in favour of stylish, overly-violent fight-scenes and Dr. Manhattan’s ever-increasing dong; Sucker-Punch took the creepy misogyny from 300 and applied it to hyper-sexualized, under-age, warrior-vixen mental health patients in an asylum which was a thinly veiled bordello fantasy.  Needless to say, ‘trepidation’ easily describes my approach to Snyder’s Superman film.

AIMing low: Iron Man 3

I saw Iron Man 3, the first movie in the series not directed by Jon Favreau and the first post-Avengers Marvel Studios movie.  I’m going to try not to give away too many spoilers, but there are a few glaring problems with the film, both stand-alone and in the greater collective of the Marvel movies.

Shining a Light on Alan Wake

After having gotten Alan Wake, and its follow-up, American Nightmare, for a song during an XBLA sale a couple of weeks ago, I just finished the initial game.  I know, I know, it’s three years old, what am I doing with my time, if not keeping up with video games, right?  Anyway, having finished it, I have to say that I am deeply saddened that it did not achieve the same levels of success and recognition as Ken Levine’s games.  Why do I feel this way?  I’m glad you asked!

Avengers: Disassembled

Okay, I’m about to raise the ire of a whole lot of people: I’m about to tear apart The Avengers.  Go ahead, get angry at me and get it out of your system now, but then read what I have to say, and tell me I’m not at least partially right.  Oh, and [WARNING: SPOILER ALERT].

In Defense of Dick Tracy

I was watching Dick Tracy the other night, and I came to a realization:  Dick Tracy vs. Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino’s character) is not the primary story in the movie.  In fact, Dick Tracy is not the movie’s true protagonist; Breathless Mahoney (Madonna’s character) fills that role.  The movie is about how she manages to take advantage of the misogyny of both the cops and mobsters and succeeds at her plans until men on both sides destroy her for expressing her sexuality instead of being a sex object.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog of observations, deconstructions, and general rants on movies, TV shows, video games, and all other things pop culture.  I am a media studies MA with a focus on video game studies (which, yes, is a thing), and I made this blog to be able to express some of the ideas I have on various pieces of media without adhering to the restrictions of an academic format.  That does not mean that I will not back up arguments, it just means that I'm going to be more colloquial in my writing style.

I hope you enjoy.  Please feel free to leave comments, as I'm always interested in other viewpoints.

P.S. I apologize for the template look.  When I have the chance, I will get it looking prettier.

P.P.S. These first posts have been building up for a little while, so that's why they may seem a little off, chronologically.  I will try to post more consistently moving forward.