Dazlandia

Joker (2019) Review: A Character Study Under Fire

Character studies of less positively inclined characters have always had an appeal. We tend to forget the human elements of a person who conducts a heinous crime. One could argue that our tendency to assume the worst about those aforementioned people is what aids us in preserving a safe and healthy society. I certainly believe that is true but, we should never deny ourselves the capacity to empathize with others, regardless of the person. I know the title says Joker (2019) review and I'll be sure to share my thoughts on the film. However, I find the current rhetoric surrounding it to be disconcerting. For those who are unaware, the national premiere of Joker was October 4th and the media has become a bit sensational due to its 'controversial' violence. People are afraid of Joker's rhetoric inspiring sympathizers to commit acts of violence. This all boils down to an age-old conversation that Quentin Tarantino has had with myriad interviewers. I agree with Tarantino in the sense that I believe violent media does not influence people in the direct way that many people assume it does. Violence and cruel people will always find an excuse or catalyst for their behavior. 

I'll be the first to admit I was skeptical of director Todd Phillips's ability to tell a story like this. I'd seen War Dogs and Hangover both of which were enjoyable but nothing I'd revisit. Now having seen the film, I believe he utilized his previous work's comedy and tweaked it a bit, making it reserved and dark. The contrast to that darkness is the color palette, unlike most DC movies, it isn't afraid to use color to be expressive. The movie also doesn't try to be a superhero/supervillain movie. It's almost entirely standalone except for the inclusion of the Wayne family, which is a bit shoehorned. The story is compelling at most times and Joaquin Phoenix has done an outstanding job with his interpretation of Joker in stark juxtaposition to Jared Leto. 

The violence in the movie takes a backseat to the day-to-day of Joker's life. It focuses more on political issues that affect people today such as mental healthcare and wealth inequality. For instance, (mild spoilers ahead) when the program that was funding Joker's medication and therapy is defunct due to federal budget cuts. The social worker tasked with caring for Joker admits that society doesn't care about people like her or him. At the beginning of the film, Joker is beaten by a sign that he was dancing with moments earlier. The sign says "Everything must go" an omen of what's to come. He's beaten with this very sign by some unsavory teens that steal it from him. Joker's life is a series of unfortunate events that lead to him become one of the most iconic villains of all time. We as the audience can empathize with Joker and while some members of the audience may applaud his violence, others find it to be a tragic consequence of a troubled man living a troubled life.

I found Joker to be a refreshing take on the comic book movie genre. It certainly isn't the best movie ever made but it's well shot, well-acted and at the very least it tried to do something no other DC film has done since the Dark Knight, tell a good story. If you are worried about the violence, I'd still check it out as those scenes make up very little of the run time. I think this story can be seen from a cautionary angle, that if we aren't careful, we too can become harmful to others and ourselves.

TL:DR: If you are tired of big-budget, popcorn comic book films, check this one out. Joaquin's performance alone is worth the watch. 

A Way Out: Are Video Games A Place for Failed Directors and Writers?

If you've been gaming for a while you probably already know this: co-op games are scarce. Ever since gaming began moving further and further away from couches, co-op games have declined. Maybe it's the pricing model as both players would need to own the game or developing them, in general, is just a challenge. Either way, they're virtually non-existent. That's why my good friend and I jump at the chance for a great co-operative experience. This being the case, we happen to stumble on A Way Out.

A Way Out is a narrative-driven, genre-bending co-op game. You play as two prisoners looking to find a way out of jail (no pun intended, it's not even a good one). The premise is interesting and it does a good job of making you excited for the possibilities ahead. You have our two protagonists: Leo and Vincent. The former being a somewhat childish delinquent and the latter more of a white-collar calm headed professional. Obviously, these two characters couldn't be more different from each other besides being incarcerated, of course. The game begins right as Vincent is dropped off at the prison and Leo is doing his daily stroll around the prison courtyard.

 

Presentation

The camera switches between split-screen and a shared single screen depending on the importance of the scene. For example, there is a scene where Vincent is playing basketball with Leo's son. Whoever is playing Leo goes to meet up with his wife and the screen pushes Vincent's side of the camera off to make room for Leo entirely. Other times, both characters are involved in a cutscene that takes place on one big screen. I'll admit that this is an interesting and at times stylish way to present the game; however, if you and your pal want to talk to different NPCs at a time it makes for a cacophony of jumbled words as both NPCs will be speaking simultaneously. Especially because the voice acting sounds like they found people off the street and asked them to read a piece of paper arbitrarily doing them all in one take. 

Story (Heavy Spoilers)
Unfortunately, the story in this game seems as though it was written by an edgy, crime film-obsessed 12^th grader. It's not only riddled with clichés and terrible voice acting but ultimately bends itself to the will of the gameplay in mindboggling ways. The best example is a huge spoiler but it needs to be discussed in any review of this game. After the big fight with the antagonist of the story, our two "heroes" return to the United States only to be surrounded by cops. At this moment in time, Vincent reveals he is an undercover cop. Some events follow and the two men end up having a showdown atop a roof in a building not too far from where their plane landed. Now the two players have to fight among each other and whoever wins determines the ending of the game. This sounds like a fantastic, innovative idea on paper and it works great as a gameplay mechanic. Problem is that it doesn't make any sense narratively. Vincent is a police officer and as such should adhere to the law. Leo is no longer able to resist and Vincent could have easily pacified him. Leo killing Vincent is a lot more believable although there is no explanation as to how he would escape the facility. This is just one of many examples of the narrative taking a nose down for the sake of NBD (Never Been Done) gameplay.

 

Gameplay
The controls are standard with an interactive button that does most of the action. The game plays like a Heavy Rain or Indigo Prophecy (Fahrenheit), taking advantage of QTEs for more intensive scenes. The controls feel stiff most of the time and pretty awkward when controlling vehicles as well.  The lack of hit detection, flawed cover system, and hasty health regeneration make the third person shooting sections all but enjoyable. There are also mini-games throughout that allow the players to compete with each other. Surprisingly, these little competitive moments are the most fun the game provides.

 

Plot Holes

There are so many questionable plot points in the game that I wanted to take some time to point out some of them. Keep in mind this game takes place in the early 70s:

• Why does Vincent reveal himself to Leo before Leo is arrested?
• Why does Vincent kill Leo and vice versa?
• How does Leo escape from the facility?
• How did Emily find them in Mexico?
• Why did Vincent stakeout so far from his brother?
• How was Vincent a bad husband?
• Why does Leo know how to fight so well? (Hospital Scene)
• Why is Harvey an indescribable douchebag?
• Why does the weapons dealer sell them out?
• Why did they send only one hitman and how did he know where they were?
• Why is Leo's nose so freakin' big? So he can smell the danger ahead?
• How was it legal for Vincent to kill Harvey in Mexico?
• How did they find Harvey's mansion? Police help possibly? It should be explained to the audience at least.
• The torture scene makes no sense. All of the methods they try to use seem to have no effect but then the guy randomly says he's had enough.
• How did two men take down an entire drug lord and his cronies?

 

Conclusion

A Way Out is the answer to a question that no one asked: what would it be like to play a B action movie? My friend and I laughed all throughout this game as we were baffled by the head-scratching narrative, lackluster voice acting, and subpar shooting mechanics. Some have praised it for its heartwrenching story but with the generic characters and stereotypes, there's nothing the game offers to warm my heart genuinely. At the end of the day, what most people want from a video game review is a recommendation. As long as you can find this game for about 10 dollars, I think it's worth the experience and the buddy pass it comes with sweetens the deal.

 

It Feels Like I'll Die Twice Before This Game Comes Out!

 

As of today, it is St. Patrick's Day. A holiday that I typically ignore as I don't drink; kinda like Cinco de Mayo a.k.a Mexican Independence day to the less culturally informed. The reason I'm pointing out today's date is it's relevance to a certain video game title I've been looking forward to since it's original showcase at E3. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love katanas, ninjas and all other kinds of Japanese culture. Well, it's something I tend not to speak on now as not to be confused with those insufferable weebs (of course, depending on your definition, you may consider me one). Anyway, the name of the game is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, an action game and spiritual successor to the Tenchu series of which I love. The game is developed by From Software and published unfortunately by Activision.

 

Story (Mild Spoilers)

Instead of selecting and customizing your own character in Sekiro, all players will be stepping in the shoes of a shinobi simply referred to as the One-Armed Wolf or Sekiro. The story begins with his young master being abducted by the enemy and the Wolf losing an arm.  Don't worry about failing in this game because Sekiro begins with a giant L. The Wolf has a new arm crafted for him by a man known as the Sculptor and the Wolf sets out to rescue his master from the clutches of evil. Initially, the story sounded a bit generic for my tastes but reading up a bit more on the lore of the game shows there is a lot more going on than we can see at this point. The storytelling will mostly be through NPCs and the environment accompanied with a tad more cutscenes than we're used to seeing.

 

Gameplay

Other than the ninjas and surface-level things that have me excited for the game, the gameplay, in general, seems to be specifically made for me. I've played a bit of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, don't get me wrong; however, It feels as though they lack some element of truly engaging combat. The fights in those games are more of a poke and dodge rather than an actual showdown determining the player's true skill level. It's not like I'm saying the game takes no skill, it's more that the option to farm and boost your stats renders most of the challenges to become much more manageable. What I like about Sekiro is the absence of stat-boosting and the focus on parrying and clashing metal with your opponent.

What do you call a ninja that can't jump? I'm not sure either but luckily the Wolf can and makes use of a grappling hook to zip to nearby cliffs and rooftops. This is another element that I feel succinctly compliments the ninja lifestyle and pushes me more towards the game. In previous From games, jumping isn't something you have access to on command and movement feels a little clunky, purposefully so I'm sure. All in all, the verticality and fluidity of movement offers the scratch to the itch I've been feeling since I completed the latest Spider-Man game.

What do you call a ninja that can't stealth? Naruto. In all seriousness, the fact that you can stealth attack virtually any enemy adds a whole other playing style and can affect how you explore the map. This also ties in nicely with the whole death is twice occurring theme. As you can use death to your advantage to bamboozle an enemy into a false sense of security. The resurrection mechanic is strangely revolutionary. I say strangely because I know other games have done something similar in the past but it still seems unique despite this. It works like this: You have two circles for resurrection. One circle is acquired from resting at one of the many statues in the game; the other is procured by defeating enemies. You do not get two resurrections back to back. Once you die, one resurrection is used and the other is blocked unless you defeat a certain number of enemies before dying again.

 

Environment

Sekiro's world has a lot of life to it especially in comparison to Bloodborne and Dark Souls. Being able to eavesdrop on enemies adds an element of humanity to them. There are many NPCs to interact with and the atmosphere is more varied allowing you to actually use the environment to your advantage. Whether that'll be hiding in tall grass, grappling up to trees or hanging on to cliffs to stealthily kill an unsuspecting enemy. The level design cleverly connects the world together and you're bound to find a multitude of different ways to reach the same area. Some locations are colorful and well lit. While others are more of what we're used to. There are also environmental enemies such as the giant white snake in the trailer.

 

Conclusion

If there's anything you can take away from this post, I hope it's that Sekiro is a game worth being hyped about (also that I'm not an insipid weeb). The mix of stealth, verticality and parry-based combat is all I've ever wanted from a game for quite a while now. From Software is great at marketing their games with a bit of mystery; it's the one thing that has me so excited as even major gaming news outlets don't know what the full game entails. There is a slim but possible chance that this game comes out and it's nothing like I expected and while that would be disappointing I still have Ghost of Tsushima coming out hopefully sometime this year. Either way, I'm looking forward to some rage sessions with this game and praying that I don't destroy my controller, my TV and/or my console. Fingers crossed!

Craiglist's Heroes: Answering the Call

Episode 1: Answering the Call

 

A typical day in Promethea. The same old skyscrapers that seem to touch the clouds as they float by. The same old transients outside of the local career center with their “No more heroes, we need more zeros” signs. The same old burning apartment complex filled with inculpable people. 

 

Many heroes rush to the aid of the civilians caught in the blaze. Bystanders gaze as if they have paid for front row seats, as heroes of all creeds, colors, and prestige leap into action. Novice heroes kill for opportunities such as these; a chance to prove themselves and maybe even increase their rank. Among the new heroes is a young man wearing a black helmet with a visor similar to the blue bomber. This isn’t exactly his first mission, but he still has a whole garden behind his ears. Locke bursts through a window on the ninth floor, immediately scanning the room for survivors. Back in the good ol’ days, it was a bit easier for heroes to find captors or victims. They would be screaming, shaking and praying to their respective deities. 

 

He sees a woman in a vibrant purple polka dress diddling on her phone. He grabs her hastily and begins to head back towards the window. He halts as he is hit by a loud shrieking sound centimeters away from his ear.“I did not consent to this rescue! Let go of me you filthy poser!” he sets her back down gently. “Sorry ma’am, I just wanted to...,” The woman’s hand met his face before he could finish. “Who do you think you are? Batman!? You can’t just go saving people without permission especially if you’re some no name.” “ My name is Locke! Locke Atman!,” he continues to rebut “ But, it shouldn’t matter who saves you! This building is burning down! Do you not understand the position you’re in!?” The woman responds simply by rolling her eyes. This sets him off, flying out the window from whence he came. 

AOTY 2018

We're nearing the end of the year and even though there is still enough time for new music, I've already chosen my own personal album of this year. Louis Cole's Time feels like it was made personally for me. He has a lot of quirk to his music and if you are familiar with Thundercat then his work will feel like coming home but the twist is you live in Miami instead of Atlanta. 

Cole is a multi-instrumentalist and half of Knower, an electronic duo, with Genevieve Artadi. Cole is quite skillful with the drums, keyboard and various other instruments he employs throughout the album. There's a great flow to it as it starts out energetically with the track, In The Weird Part of The Night. On this song, Cole has lyrics such as "It's hard to be fake with nobody else awake." addressing the freedom of late-night hours spent alone. Personally, I feel as though my best work comes from those moments, where the weight of the world is absent.  

Cole is very relatable as an artist and in very subtle ways. A good example is Bank Account a great minute and a half long track about the fears of checking your bank account (This single was not included on the LP). It's not that these ideas aren't discussed at all in music but little things like that the everyday person can relate to.

I'll admit, initially, I cherrypicked the album, listening to Phone, Things and A Little Bit More Time exclusively. I played these tracks for what seemed like perpetually. I was completely entranced by their catchy, quirky nature. The theme of the song Things, in particular, embodies one of my most important mantras: accepting the fact that you cannot control the world around you but that's not always a bad thing. Then, I decided to dive into a few more tracks, this time listening to Tunnels in The Air, After The Load is Blown and When You're Ugly. Eventually listening to the entire thing only disliking "Night" as it seems like the weakest song on the LP.

When talking about this album, I feel the need to go over the video game-esque sounds that are incorporated. I love video games probably more than the next guy but I hate the constant involvement of video games in other forms of media. Luckily, Louis Cole much like Thundercat does not try to hit you over the head with his video game influences. It doesn't feel like they are trying to pander to you but rather they're big fans themselves.

If you're looking for something a bit different but catchy, I definitely recommend this album. It has everything you could possibly want. Tracks to dance to, tracks to cry to and some lyrics that are bound to get a chuckle out of you. I'm very much looking forward to Louis Cole's future as an artist and I hope there will be much more to come.

 

 

Where Did The Fear Go?.. Oh Wait, There It Is!

Spoiler Alert!

I'm just going to come out and say it: when it comes to horror movies, I'm a little fruit. It's not just that they scare me at the moment, it's the lingering feeling afterward. Reminiscent of the funky aftertaste of a diet Coke (a bit more sinister, of course). Despite this, I find the horror genre to the most interesting in terms of plot.

Think about it, what makes things creepy? Absence of comprehension. If you tell the audience too much too quickly you lose tension and if you leave too much up to interpretation, you risk pissing them off. In recent years, both the horror and comedy genres have been buried. Riddled with either terrible plots, sub-par performances or heavy reliance on gimmicks. Horror like comedy relies on the element of surprise. Nothing is really funny when you are expecting it and neither is something scary. So, when you find a good horror or comedy movie, first be sure to tell all your friends and second feel blessed. I saw a pretty great horror movie last weekend and I may be a little late but I suppose that runs in the family.

Heredity was written and directed by Ari Aster and I haven't seen any of his previous works but this movie has motivated me to do so. It's funny to me that it came out in what Red Letter Media likes to call "F*ck you, it's January" as most movies infamously blow during the month of my birth, unfortunately. I did not see this film in theaters but I wish I did. It's not another in your face jump scare-fest. The movie understands the value of pacing and slower payoffs. Not to mention, I imagine most people are going to want to re-watch this as the foreshadowing can easily go over your head if you aren't paying close attention.

I love the sense of doubt the movie during the seance scene with Joan; I wasn't sure if the ghost was going to harm them or if Joan was just plain insane. Then, the shot of the pole when Charlie and Peter are on their way to the party. I could have never predicted how it would be involved in Charlie's death and it's shown just long enough that I remember it but quick enough that I didn't think about it on the way back. Even Gabriel's death as the audience expects Annie to burn based on the information we are shown prior.  The whole cast did a terrific job and Charlie's actress was particularly perfect for her part. There were complaints surrounding Peter's crying but some people honestly have that "ugly" cry. If the movie is a sundae, the ending is the cherry on top. We see that not only was Joan part of the cult but so is one of  Peter's teachers among many others. King Paimon is revived but it's as if he is a newborn himself looking a bit confused as to how he got there and why people are bowing to him.

You can look at this film as a well-executed horror movie or you can see it as a family's struggle with mental illness. Peter showing signs of Schizophrenia and Annie suffering from DID similar to her mother. I use to date a girl with a  family history of serious mental illnesses. She often contemplated whether or not she should have children and I can understand the hesitation similar to how Annie wanted to abort Peter. Not due to her disdain of his existence but to protect him from the "misfortune" of carrying her bloodline.

Horror may not exactly be making a comeback anytime soon but it sure is nice to find a golden nugget amongst a sea of excrement. 

TL:DR: if you're bored staring at the wall or scrolling through Instagram think about giving this movie a watch. It's worth your time.

Witnessing the Birth of Modern Gaming

Around the year 2000, I was about five years old. My parents are a bit older so I always had siblings that were a decade or so older than me. My mom was the original gamer in my family. She would play Pacman/Ms. Pacman religiously, every chance she could get. My dad was more into the point and shoot games at the arcade. My older brother and sister loved JRPGs and other story-based games. The first person to ask for a console in my family was my eldest sister (to be clear, I have three sisters and one brother). I believe she asked for an NES and that's how it all started.

Fast forward about 15 years and word of a new game on the latest SEGA console was heard. I remember the game having a funny sounding name that I didn't recognize as English, probably because it wasn't. My brother and sister eagerly popped the game into the Dreamcast. It booted up and it was like something I'd never seen before. Sure, I played Super Mario 64 but I was a smart enough kid to know that wasn't real. This game though, it was like watching a movie. I remember how scared I was when Ryo's (whom I referred to as Ryu at the time) father was killed by Lan Di. 

The game I'm talking about is of course Shenmue. It's crazy to see after all those years I'll be able to relive it again. Don't get me wrong, I saw what happen to Mighty No. 9. I'm not blindly excited about the crowdfunded third installment. However, I am quite excited to relive my childhood wonder as an adult. I was too young to play Shenmue for myself at the time but now I've been granted the chance to actually experience it first hand.

P.S.: I plan to follow up this post with a Now vs. Then review of the game as well as the sequel, which I did play on Xbox upon release.