Straightforward reviews of art
I have less than no interest in the stories of human dominance at the moment. I don’t know what it is about films like this that just don’t do anything for me.
It’s sort of like Television - plus documentary. I guess it’s like those History Channel drama-docs, where every scene is as tense as it can be, and every character is trying so hard to impose their will on every other character.
Just sick to death of this sort of thing. Could have had a glimpse into this guy’s heart - into this guy’s mind…
2/10
6/14/2024
By Francis Ford Coppola
A man can only take so much of this gnarly noir stuff. But if it’s this kinda film, I like it.
Performances in these movies are always pretty weird. Stilted, sexual, and inhuman. I think the actors are mostly trying to put you at unease, rather than portray a real guy or gal.
Audio in this film is impeccable, though. I can’t believe they were able to pull this off!
7/10
6/9/2024
People back in those days talk so funny, I just can’t help but chuckle. Great work, Herman.
7/10
6/9/2024
By Leni Riefenstahl
By far the most beautiful film I’ve ever seen, visually. Also, some incredible cinematography, and the athletes are the best characters you could imagine.
The film has a big impact on me, both in what I think is possible, and in what I think is valuable.
8/10
6/1/2024
By Makoto Shinkai
This film is like a dream. I think this film is part of my heart forever now.
9/10
5/27/2024
By Makoto Shinkai
I’m sure that Makoto Shinkai’s heart is still in this film somewhere, and i see where he’s coming from with the whole Kafka on the Shore angle, but these films these days… how can they keep doing all this fantasy nonsense?
I don’t even really know what it’s all for.
The plot of this film reads like Final Fantasy. The Anime bullshit is off the charts. There’s some sweet characters, but they’re constantly just left baffled by the main character’s inability to communicate her weird fantasy situation, so they can only get so close.
Again, this film has some decent qualities, like the pace and the look, but i can’t cut it these days with the fantasy/anime stuff man, just can’t cut it anymore.
4/10
5/27/2024
By Francis Ford Coppola
Second watch.
Thing I noticed this time around: Michael is talking to his dad near the end, and Vito says that he wanted Michael to have the keys to power. He wanted his boy to be a senator, governor…It’s like the reason for all this power brokering is made clear. Vito’s whole dream is that the little guy can grow to pave his own way. It’s nicely explored in the second film, when Vito’s young, but it makes a little more sense why the Corleone do what they do in this film.
On that note, I still do think these guys are weird. The Sicilians, no matter their declarations of focus on family and honor, are still doing nasty stuff.
7/10
5/26/2024
By Intelligent Studios
Game is alright. Only a few hours played.
I think the trouble with this kind of game is that the whole thing is just stringing you along, trying to get you to be excited about stupid things.
It’s a subtle form of disrespect, and I don’t like it!
2/10
5/26/2024
By From Software
A marvelous game. Maybe my favorite of the bunch.
7/10
5/25/2024
By Davey Wreden
This game single-handedly restored my faith in the narrative game. It’s very constrained, and it isn’t really interested in the sorts of ludo-truth that art games tend to exploit.
Rather, it’s more like Everyday Shooter. A game which is more about a subtle feeling than any obvious truth in its mechanics.
Every time I hear about games like The Marriage or Passage - games I’m most certainly in favor of, by the way - I think: “Yeah, it’s meaningful, but isn’t it obvious?”
The games have a “moral of the story”, which is communicated in the language of games, but it’s still just a moral of the story. Like a children’s fable. It’s not subtle, or deep, or continually interesting. It’s cool, and it’s on the right track, but we haven’t communicated subtle things like feeling through mechanics yet.
This game, The Beginner’s Guide, doesn’t try to use the language of games on their own. It’s whole-heartedly a hybrid project between literature and games. And I’d say it works wonders in that niche.
While we still have a ways to go in developing the language of games in themselves, keep in mind, my friends, that most every film worth watching is also a script and a dance and an engineering effort.
Good art is a mix. Let’s not forget that in our pursuit of art in games.
8/10
5/21/2024
By Jonathan Mak
This is a game with a feeling, an essence, a philosophy, and a clear passion.
9/10
5/18/2024
By Haruomi Hosono
Low-key-est album ever. I love this thing.
I want to learn how Hosono produces music. It’s always the most low-volume stuff ever, but it still feels full. His instruments are so simple, and he makes such good stuff out of em.
9/10
5/18/2024
By Masaaki Yuasa
This film is TO THE MAX!!! Probably my favorite movie these days.
Endlessly relatable, filled with real-life stuff, and just non-stop punches in the face.
Also check out Yuasa’s shows. Ping Pong and Tatami Galaxy are both great.
9/10
5/18/2024
I think this talk is probably a must-watch for creators of all types.
Essentially:
This talk is also pretty well expressed by John Cleese’s book on Creativity, and David Lynch’s Catching the Big Fish.
8/10
5/18/2024
If you’re into video games, this is required viewing. Classic talk.
7/10
5/18/2024
By Derek Sivers
Derek’s best book. You’ll be thinking all sorts of stuff by the end.
8/10
5/18/2024
By Bethesda Game Studios
Morrowind is a weird combination, but it turns out to be pretty much the best RPG ever made.
Shitty tabletop-simulator combat, wikipedia hyperlink dialogue where everyone says the same thing, endless copy-paste content, and early 3D-accelerator era graphics. Sure, sure, it’s got flaws. But what Morrowind does best is its obtuse mechanics. The weird stuff.
The fact that your starting movement speed is a snail’s pace; the way you have to learn how to ride the bus to get anywhere; the quest writing - this is a game with more weirdos than Zelda.
There’s a whole culture of people who know how to levitate, so they don’t build stairs into their houses. If you want to talk to them, you have to be able to levitate. If you can’t, you’re out of luck.
These sorts of obtuse things are dying out in video games. The sharp edges are smoother now than ever.
That’s why you should play Morrowind.
9/10
5/18/2024
By Mamoru Hosoda
This was my favorite movie for a couple years. I think I watched it seven times in a week once.
It’s so earnest, full of heart, and simple! It’s a story with no conceits, a simple outlook, and a real sense of people. Pair that with Masakatsu Takagi’s beautiful score, and some of the best montage sequences in animation.
Anyways, I love this film. I also really like Hosoda’s The Boy and the Beast and Summer Wars, but his new stuff pretty much universally sucks. I just don’t know how a guy can make a film like Wolf Children and then also make a film like Belle…
9/10
5/18/2024
With Steve Swink, Kyle Gabler, Jonathan Blow, Jonathan Mak, and Jenova Chen.
This panel shakes me up every time I watch it! Five legends of indie games, essentially agreeing that what matters in game design is not innovation, but rather the essential nature of the game you’re designing.
Mak’s perspective is my favorite of the bunch. Can’t wait to see what they make next. Also really good is Chen’s perspective on entertainment being like food for the soul. This is operationally true, and seems more intuitive every time I watch this talk.
For more on this topic, check out Jonathan Blow’s page on games and feeling.
8/10
5/18/2024
By Shigeru Nagata
This album is an absolute classic. It’s been my companion for years now. So laid back, playful, exciting, refined, and simple. It’s the pinnacle of 90s Yamaha synth music, and the sounds are unmatched.
Bonus points if you also check out the terrible Studio Ghibli movie that this soundtrack is attached to. Super weird combination - the film and the OST both have a real sense of nostalgia, but go at it in different ways. OST succeeds, film fails. It’s pretty funny to watch, though.
9/10
5/18/2024
By Ichiro Kishime and Fumitake Koga
This book made my life go from sad to glad! If you read this book and try to really think about it, I think you’ll be glad too.
Basically: life is real simple, and human beings are free.
If you read one book ever, it better be this one!
10/10
5/18/2024