I decided that for my last post of 2016 I would do something a little different. Normally December is filled with top ten lists. Everyone does them for everything, and they are endless. I find them quite entertaining, but I really didn’t think I could fill a top 10 list for games, books, films, and TV.
Instead what I decided to do was to pick ten things that I enjoyed in 2016. They aren’t in any order of priority, they aren’t based on anything other than the fact that I discovered them in 2016, and I enjoyed them. There will be some books, films, games, TV shows, and maybe even something else. This has been a shit year for planet earth, and humanity, but there’s been some good things. Let’s get to it shall we.
Video Game Movies Need To Change
Video Game movies are cursed. Every time a new one comes out we have the same discussions. Will this one break the curse? Will this one be good? Will this one be the one to show the world it can be done right? It seems that the answers are always, no.
Even when the biggest IP’s in the world give it a shot, and throw millions of dollars, and big stars into the project, they still manage to end up being a disappointment. This year we’ve had two of the biggest video game movies ever released. One of them I reviewed Here on this very site.
Despite most of them having some good qualities, like fan service or great CGI, none so far have set the world alight, if rotten tomatoes is any indication. Today I want to talk about what I think the real problem is and how we might go about fixing it. We all want good video game adaptations, so just for fun, let’s talk about how we might get one.
Rogue One: Full Metal Prequel
It’s 1 AM. I’ve just got back from the Imax after watching Rogue One. I want to sleep; I should sleep, but I can’t sleep. I’ve just watched a new Star Wars film, and I have to get my thoughts down. First off, if you haven’t seen this film already, stop reading and go watch it. Seriously, you don’t need to read about what I think. This films is 100% worth your time and money, go watch it.
Now if you’re still reading it then I assume you’ve already seen this movie. That’s good! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Now I’m not saying it was a perfect movie, and I’m not saying it’s the best Star Wars movie since Empire, but I am saying that it was one hell of a ride, and I think it fills an important gap in the Star Wars timeline. This was a story I’m glad they decided to tell, and I’m glad they got people involved who told it with passion, style, and a whole lot of pew pew.
The Reckoners Series
I’ve wanted to talk about these books for a while now. I decided though, to wait until the first trilogy finished before I did. It’s no secret that Brandon Sanderson is one of my all time favorite authors. I love his writing style, his variety, his characters, and perhaps most importantly, his world building.
When I discovered that Sanderson was tackling a story about super heroes I was sceptical, but curious. We all know that the realm of super heroes is the comic book. There are few novels that deal with super heroes, and even fewer that are any good. I think it’s hard to translate what makes super heroes loved in the comics to book format. With that in mind, I dived into the series excited to see what an excellent storyteller like Sanderson did with the concept. [Read more…]
Expat Diary #2: Snow, Supermarkets, and Smoked Meat Sandwiches
Happy December everyone! My second week here is almost over. Lots of things have happened as I continue exploring a new country. The first week was a mad rush of introductions, sitting in waiting rooms, and having no money. I feel like week two has been my real start here.
That’s not to say there hasn’t been a lot of learning this week. I moved out to Quebec right on a seasonal transition for one. I’ve also been starting to return my life to normal, which meant shopping for groceries, viewing apartments, and trying to pick up the language. But it has mostly been about snow…
Expat Diary #1: Bureaucracy, Bienvenue, and Bubble Baths
I thought it would be interesting to document my experience of moving and working in Canada. When I moved to Poland I found a blog of an expat who had moved there some years before me and recorded the adventure. I found it really useful, so I thought I would do the same. The hope is that someone planning to move to Canada in the future will find this blog series and gain some reassurance, or useful information that will make their lives easier when they set off upon their own international adventure.
I’ve also found throughout the course of writing this blog, that putting down my thoughts and experiences is incredibly cathartic, so I guess I’m also using this as a kind of self prescribed therapy to help me deal with everything that’s going on in my life. I’ve always believed you should write for yourself first and foremost, so I guess this is no different. I hope you enjoy my ramblings about an Expat’s life in Quebec City, Canada.
I’m going on an adventure… to Canada!
I’ve been wanting to write this blog post for quite a while. I’ve been living in a state of limbo waiting for something to happen so I could talk about it. Now I finally can it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can’t think of a more perfect topic to write seriously about after last weeks load of old rubbish (I still can’t believe I wrote an entire blog post about tea).
Tomorrow, or as most people like to call it, Saturday, I will be flying to Quebec City, Canada where I will now be living and working. I start my brand new job on Monday as a writer for Ubisoft.
It feels so good to be able to write those words. It’s been a long, tiring road, but now I’m finally here I’m excited as hell!
Nothing beats a good cuppa!
I had a whole bunch of different topics I was looking at writing about this week. They were all very serious, and in light of recent political events I decided that serious things could wait. It’s been a hard week and writing something a little light-hearted seemed more appropriate. We live in dark times, but don’t worry, there’s nothing a good cup of tea cannot fix!
Yes, that does mean I’m about to write a blog post about tea. Strap in, this is going to be one hell of a ride.
Warcraft: The Beginning (of good video game movies?)
Video game movies have always been cursed. Every time a new one was due to release we would all gathered around our metaphorical camp fires and utter things like “This could be the one,” or “This one looks good, maybe they’ll finally get it right”. Unfortunately, no matter how much we hoped and prayed they always seem to be a let down.
I remember going to see Super Mario Brothers at the cinema when I was just a small boy. I was so excited to see one of my favourite video game characters come to life on the big screen. Boy, was that a dark day. You would have thought I learned my lesson after seeing that abomination, but my young optimism could not be tempered. Time after time I went to the cinema to see the latest video game to movie adaptation, and every time I left feeling disappointed, and sometimes angry. Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Prince of Persia, Doom. None of them ever lived up to the expectations of fans, myself included. It’s 2016, I’m nearing 30, and I’m still watching video game movies hoping that one day they’ll live up to the incredible worlds they are based on.
Warcraft: The Beginning came out on Blu Ray recently, so I watched it and now I’m going to tell you what I thought.
Book Review: United States of Japan
Every so often you come across a book that has such an impact on you that it changes how you think. It might change how you think about the world, life, death, love, politics, or anything else or everything. One such book for me was The Man in the High Castle, by Philip K. Dick. I have always been a fan of history and this novel was my first exposure to alternate history and the creative door it opened to me was immense. It inspired me in ways I didn’t even know possible and I’m sure it had a similar impact on many aspiring writers.
Today alternate history is a huge sub-genre of fiction. There are thousands of novels and stories that play with history at their core and I have read quite a lot, but one really stood out to me in a big way this year. That book was United States of Japan, by Peter Tieryas. [Read more…]