Media Mini Reviews

Review #1: Psycho

     What better a way to start this off than with a classic. Psycho is one of those movies that you hear about long before you ever see it. The movie is older than my parents and has managed to survive and still be culturally relevant to this day; and for good reason. Psycho was one of those movies I always meant to watch but never did, but now that I have I'm glad I watched it. For a 50 year old film it manages to be entertaining and even incredibly creepy at times. The story was wonderfully refreshing compared to today's formulaic horror stories and, had I not already known the ending going in, I'm sure I would have been on edge the whole time waiting to see what would happen next. It's a movie that's full of interesting turns and a few really surprising moments all done without the in-your-face gore and pop-scares that usually come with today's horror films. Norman Bates is a great villain, with more character development than most horror villains and monsters, with Anthony Perkins playing the perfect amount of creepy and innocent that kept me feeling uneasy the entire time.

How could you not trust that face?

     Overall, Psycho was a great film that proved that you can make a movie that is subtle and scary at the same time without the use of blood magic or genies and has made me pretty excited to get into some of Hitchcock's other films

Review #2: 2001: A Space Odyssey

     This is another one of those classic films that you hear references for and see parodies of long before you see it, and another movie I was glad to cross off of my list. 

This is the bad guy, I knew that much

     No matter how much people insisted how fantastic this film is-*cough* Edwards *cough*- I never got around to watching it, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it once I finally saw it. I loved this film, in fact. I thought it was great, with cool practical effects for even today, that only impressed me more when I saw them on exhibit in Toronto. The minimal dialogue and tons of ambient noise really added to the weight of the scenes and kept my eyes on the screen the whole way through. As much as I enjoyed the movie, I can why others might not enjoy it as much as I did. All that silence and ambient sound I mentioned earlier? Some may not appreciate what that adds to the atmosphere of the movie and clocking in at a nearly three hour run time is bound to make some less patient viewers lose interest. 

They might find the space shots pretty, at least.

     Basically, I really loved this movie, and I know why it's considered a must see for sci-fi fans. But, I can also see why this film would just put other people to sleep for three hours.

Review #3: The Truman Show

     The Truman Show is and always has been, hands down, one of my favourite Jim Carrey movies. It's a movie that steps just outside the wacky comedy and crazy facial expressions of most of Jim Carrey's movies and still keeps you interested. I really loved the premise of this movie. I thought the idea of someone discovering that there entire life was nothing more than a show being broadcast all over the world interesting and intensely surreal. I also loved how, towards the end, they seemed to ask if freedom at the risk of unhappiness is better than having almost anything you could ever want at the cost of said freedom. The town Truman lives in, Seahaven is really well constructed, showing exactly how much work the people put into the show when Truman's antics start to cause things to fall apart. The Truman Show has an interesting plot that I really loved, was a change from most of Jim Carrey's movies and has a permanent place in my film collection.

Review #4: Dragon Age: Inquisition

     These are the times when I'm grateful for modern technology like blogs, because at this point, blogs are the only places I can go to talk about Dragon Age: Inquisition without someone telling me to shut the hell up. Needless to say, I really really love this game. It's by far my favourite of the trilogy and a brilliant comeback from the less than stellar Dragon Age 2. It takes the best and most iconic elements of the game like the combat, the rich story and the interactions with your party and expands and adds to them, making them better than before. With the help of a new game engine it boasts new and diverse areas to explore all over the fictional world of Thedas. 

I tune out everything else when I'm playing the Emerald Graves

     The game brings in tons of character, both new and old, that can be talked to, allied with or killed if that's what you're into. All that being said, I'll be one of the first to admit that Inquisition has it's faults. Some of the quests can feel repetitive or like fetch quests, but those are staples of the RPG genre. Also, while the graphics have improved exponentially from the first game and the new environments look beautiful comparatively, they could still use some work. There's often some weird looking pop-ins in the environment and the characters faces...well...sometimes they look like they're covered in butter. 

     Looking past those issues, Dragon Age: Inquisition a great game with lots to do in its 100+ hours and multiplayer and even more for loyal fans of the series. 10/10, would recommend.