Elves and Beasts and Lightsabers

  I watched some the new Lilo and Stitch "movie" and it was terrible. This is not a surprise. I was expecting it to be awful because all the live-action Disney remakes are, and was only watching it out of curiosity; I had heard that some of the Experiments from the TV show make a cameo. I am a huge fan of the original movie, the TV series, and the franchise. I still find the original movie to be very powerful emotionally. A film like Lilo and Stitch was so memorable because it had those slower, emotionally heavy moments that really hit hard and challenged people. At the same time, the movie balanced this out with humor that didn't contrast with the heavier moments; each moment was given its own space to breathe. Take for example, the scene where Stitch leaves Lilo after looking at the Ugly Duckling book. It's a silent moment where Stitch simply goes out into the forest and simply says "I'm lost". Stitch is in this existential crisis and the audience can ...

I watched the Last of Us TV Adaptation It was mostly good. The series changes details from the game. I feel most of these changes are beneficial. It’s successfully adapting the story using the strengths of the TV medium as opposed to merely copying the video game. There is a lot of material to discuss. However, firstly, the ethics behind it need to be discussed. The co-writer of the original game was not credited. This is wrong. I dislike Neil Druckmann’s inclinations as a writer and his unethical activities as someone in charge. He made his employees watch traumatizing videos from Liveleak to be more accurate, as well as having crunch in his studio. Onto his shortcomings as a storyteller, he really likes situations where the perspective goes between perpetrator and victim, and both sides view themselves justified. This itself is fine, but he reuses the same tropes again and again with little change. This is present in Season 1 Episode 4, Season 1 Episode 7, and in the The Last of Us 2...

Oddworld Soulstorm thoughts (spoilers) There are spoilers here. I have been waiting so long for this game! It’s been four years. Additionally, Oddworld hasn’t made an original story since 2005.  Did it live up to the wait? In story terms, somewhat. In game terms, no. I also have a big problem with the game that I'll get to. I love this franchise so much and I’m glad to see more stuff from the franchise. There were some good things and some bad things. There have been so many promises and so many things have been hyped up; the game does completely not live up to the hype and the promises. I also wonder how experiencing the game would have been like without the  four years of trailers and preparation.    My main interest in this game was for the story, so that’s my focus. I’ll go over the good things first. Regarding positives, I appreciate Abe’s characterization. It’s more human, and it does a great job at showing his intended empathy. At the start, he doesn’t want to...

I just watched Enemy Mine. I thought it was a good movie. It made me feel a lot of emotions. Rage for the injustice of the system and those who perpetuate it. The film stumbles in quite a few ways. But its accomplishments are extremely noteworthy. I feel like this film, warts and all, deserves some more praise. I deeply admire how the film sets out to talk about bigotry and exploitation. This film, with its alien designs and focus on such issues, reminds me of Oddworld. That is a very good thing. The effects and performances in the film are magnificent! I love how the alien life looks! They have that three-eyed turtle thing. I have a few problems with the movie. That this film had trouble behind the scenes is evident. I find it hilarious that they had to include a mine to appease people who thought the title would be confusing without a literal mine. The film has little interest in exploring complicity within greater systems. Willis’s character is great. However, there’s a surprising l...

  I lately saw these two comedy anime, both based off of manga. I found them really funny. Both shows have similarities and are also reminiscent of the anime Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, a series I am a big fan of, despite its unfortunate problematic elements (neither Gabriel Dropout nor Dropkick on My Devil have those kinds of elements). Both series are about they are about angels and demons coming over to the human world, in the slice-of-life genre. Both shows deal with folklore and mythos, which is always welcome. Gabriel Dropout follows two high-achieving angels who are sent to Earth via their student exchange program. Upon arrival, the main character Gabriel, almost immediately becomes addicted to gaming, losing her angelic disposition in favour of a misanthropic, slovenly, and lazy demeanour. The other angel, Raphiel, becomes a sadist. Then they meet two demons, Vignette and Satania. Vignette is a polite and kind person, ironically being more like an angel in behaviour rathe...

Darth Plagueis was a mysterious dark lord of the Sith, known for being the master of the formidable Emperor Palpatine and for his ongoing quest to seek immortality. He sought to master nature and the force itself through scientific and political power. Palpatine, his ever power-hungry apprentice, killed him in his sleep. This book details the long history of both figures, being the only Star Wars media to talk about Darth Plagueis in depth. It spans decades, following Hego Damask, a wealthy banker and the alter ego of Darth Plagueis, carrying on the Sith legacy. He seduces a young Palpatine and they continue their mission of eventually implanting Sith rule. I love this book. It’s so good at world-building, at expanding established lore. It has escapism with science-fiction with political intrigue. I really felt like this was history, history of another universe. While not whitewashing that both Plagueis and Palpatine are monsters, the book gives a lot of depth to both Palpatine and Pla...