Critical acclaim. What does that mean, anyway? Subjectivity and objectivity are really dicey, especially in entertainment where there are always two sides of the coin. Word of mouth is one thing, but the word of critics? I have nothing against a friend telling me to catch a movie because he thought it was interesting, but he couldn’t possibly tell me how I’d feel about it. Doesn’t that take away the art of the entire thing?
Shapan: Getting excited about a movie is fun. A lot of people hate being late for movies not because they missed that critical first five minutes of the movie, but because they missed the trailers. Trailers are like Christmas gifts you can tuck under a tree. You might have an idea of what it is, but you’ll never know for sure. Isn’t that exciting? And isn’t that excitement refreshing?
Subscribers to Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) found in January that their subscriptions were canceled. Meanwhile, on the other side of the print industry, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, after publishing since 1863, closed its doors and went online.
Spring is here, summer is quickly approaching, and soon we'll all be baking in the sun. With everything so pleasant outside, these months beg for activity, activity that might be down a bit thanks to how easy it is these days to wrap yourself up in your little corner of the world. There are always things to do outside but sometimes it doesn't seem worth it. But you're an adventurous one, aren't you? I can tell from the look in your eyes. Oh, and you like music, do you? Well, then you should be in luck.
Digital distribution has been detrimental to media like films and music that rely on DVDs and album releases to generate extra income for the studios. However, the opposite is true for video games in that avoiding brick-and-mortar retail outlets actually cuts costs for developers. A new trend is emerging in the gaming industry toward titles produced exclusively for digital distribution.
Shapan: Comedies are being churned out all the time in modern cinema, and why not? Laughter, after all, is the best medicine. Nowadays, it's tough to find a comedy that doesn't include at least one of the actors from the popular "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy." Of course, that film had little intellectual purpose, but it was the perfect laugh. Memorable characters, hilarious jokes and a story you didn't have to worry about keeping up with. Good times, right? Wrong.
Fewer people look forward to release dates of their favorite music albums. Fewer people are excited when their favorite shows are released on DVD. Yes, the economy is facing tough times and people might not be spoiling themselves as much as they used to with life's little luxuries. But an even bigger factor in the decline in anticipation may involve the availability of media elsewhere, on the ever-consuming all-powerful, Internet.
Pat: The Wii's latest arcade-style shooter, "The House of the Dead: Overkill," inadvertently sums up a potential problem for the console's upcoming lineup, and a trend in the industry in general.
He saw his father murdered by the machete of a Mau Mau rebel when he was 13 and he forgave the killer. A genetic ailment lay dormant for much of his life, then sprung itself upon him, impairing his motor functions, but he kept teaching. One of the few professors brave enough to dole out a deserved D+, he was unfairly called a fascist, and he still gave students the chance to rewrite. Richard Kroll was tough and fair.
Maybe Nintendo figured that there was a market for its latest casual title, "Personal Trainer: Math," in North America because our proficiency in the subject falls so far short from the rest of the developed world. Unfortunately, its title ranks just as badly against the rest of the Touch Generations series on DS.
Obama set the tone for his new administration with a win-win affront on the First Amendment. The sheepish Republicans in Congress nearly bought into his attempt to marginalize Rush Limbaugh, but even though they didn't (and that's still in question), Obama has rallied the good will of his robotic constituents and thus come away unscathed.
George W. Bush's last week in office has just about ended the Reagan era. That's not to say Reaganism is outdated – it is not and never can be – but it is to say that the Republican Party is in absolute shambles, thanks in large part to a leader who did everything but lead. It's sad to say, but Bush has really become our Carter.
