Of course “expensive” is relative. I’m looking at Honda CR-V’s (yes I know I swore I’d never get an SUV but it’s closer in size to a Jeep and has a better MPG than any car I’ve ever owned, plus it’s real purty so suck it nerds) and working my ass off to get a decent deal on one. I even put my dad on the phone with the salesman to try and get him to take a loss on it. While it didn’t work this time, my dad offered to come down and see what he could do in person at the end of the month. I’m very much looking forward to that, even more so because it’s a sign that my dad is actually becoming reliable. It’s funny how he and I are both taking on so much responsibility at the same time.

School is a massive amount of work, but none of it too difficult. I’m plagiarizing myself in English, but that’s fine because I wrote it, even if it was a few months ago for a different teacher in a different class. I’m seeing last semesters failures as learning experience. It was kind of like a crash course on how to learn and how schooling works. I’ve been out of the loop for so long that I needed that I think.

While school is going swimmingly, I’m still stressed as all hell. I’m trying to get everything that I owe paid off, get a new car, join and attend a gym, go on vacation to New York and start building a savings all at the same time.

I think I’m just going to stop eating and live off of dreams, alcohol and ramen. Just like every other college student.

The face of a stressed out man:

Last night, I got the chance to watch an early showing of District 9, the highly anticipated Science Fiction film by director Neill Blomkamp. To say that I was impressed is quite the understatement. Here’s a quick synopsis and review.

In the early ’80s, an alien spacecraft appeared in the sky above the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. The ship’s inhabitants are stuck on Earth after running out of fuel and need a new place to live. The government, feeling international pressure to assist the aliens, task the private company Multi-National United (MNU) with the settlement and protection of the aliens. MNU builds a camp in the outskirts of the city and dubs it District 9. The camp becomes a slum and after twenty years of tension and pressure from the human population of South Africa, the government decides to move the aliens, known as “prawns”, to a resettlement camp further away from the city. It’s then that we meet our hero, Wikus. Working for the MNU, it’s his responsibility to inform the residents of District 9 of their evictions. After entering one of the shacks to investigate for weapons, something goes wrong. I’d hate to spoil anything, so I’ll leave the synopsis there, on to the review.

The film is shot as a documentary/SF film hybrid. It’s an approach that allows for exposition in the form of interviews with experts and people closely related to the incident, without resorting to pathetic, “creative uses of angles” and seemingly magical cellphone cameras to capture the action (I’m looking at you Diary of the Dead.) This mix of styles is put together wonderfully: It’s never jarring to go from security footage, to a close-up, to a soldiers gun camera. Another aspect that I loved about the film is that it never feels the need to flaunt. Every shot is there for a reason, there is no grandstanding, no fan service, nothing like that. In this world, aliens have been around for twenty years, their ship has been hovering over the city for so long that people barely even notice it anymore and the camera makes sure to follow that same principle. The prawns are incredibly detailed and feel real enough to sympathize with, which is key to the story.

The fact that the story takes place in South Africa is no coincidence. This is, like all good SF, a social commentary. The prawns are stuck on Earth and want nothing more than to go home. They are treated as less-than by humanity, forced to live in small tin shacks, fenced off from the rest of the world. It’s message of anti-racism isn’t heavy-handed though. There aren’t any rousing speeches, filled with flowery prose, talking about how we’ve all got to get along. No, District 9 doesn’t need to resort to such petty tactics. The character development is so well done that at times I was actually uncomfortable with the brutality that was on screen. The film isn’t really all that gory. The brutality comes from the complete disregard and hatred that the humans have for the prawns. It’s scary to think that people have treated each other in a lot of the same ways, but that’s the key to good SF. It opens your mind to seeing things in a different light.

The characters are real, the story is real, the message is real, but perhaps most importantly for moviegoers today, the action is real too. Plot and character development only make things more intense as bullets fly and various things, both living and non-living, explode into showers of whatever-the-hell they were made. The trailers promise action, and while its not the type that most people were expecting, it is far from disappointing.

Overall, the film is excellent. The performances, both in terms of acting and directing, are fantastic. Especially when you consider that both are first timers. District 9 is a solid SF film that is able to appeal to a wide audience without giving up any ground on intelligent, plot or sympathetic characters. I suggest that everyone go see this movie and spread the word. This is the type of Science Fiction that we need: A smart, action packed movie that doesn’t feel the need to talk down to people.

Watch it.

Clichéd? Yes. Still looks good though.

Thanks to:
LisaNova

I completely forgot to bring a second lens, had trouble deciding on the lighting and kept snapping a second too late and ending up with something out of focus or just completely uninteresting. After a bit of that awkwardness and getting over the fact that I’d have to shoot in a small space with the wrong lens, I was able to adapt enough to get some great shots and have quite a bit of fun. As much fun as curling up in a bathtub, praying that you don’t accidentally turn on the shower, inadvertently drowning your camera, your dreams and yourself can be anyway.

I’ve gotten an idea for something that I will be working on over the next few days and weeks. I will try and post a photo on a regular basis, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the “writes” of “Holdenwrites” becomes inaccurate. At least for a little while.

I promise that I’ll update when something interesting does happen. I will most certainly try and get a review for Mega Man 9 up, no promises though.

Picture of the Day

“Wait, which camera do I look in?”

A silhouetted figure stands just beyond the reach of a feebly glowing street light, the still-burning remains of a city silently flicker behind him.  Glowing embers twist and float around him as he slowly crosses the darkened bridge. The orange glow of the city and harsh yellow light of the street lamp slowly strip the shadows away from his face and body, but don’t dare touch the ones in his heart. The man takes one last look up at the night sky, the stars twinkling against the fiery glow, before facing the journey that lay before him. He must right the wrongs of the past, rebuilding the shattered pieces of his life like so many puzzles. Most importantly, he must find his princess and save her from the horrors of this place and so, with a final sigh, he enters the home.

So begins a masterpiece of art, music and gameplay innovation, Braid. Available on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade, Braid is a 2-D puzzle platformer that grants the player the ability to rewind time through control of the main character, Tim. While it’s not the newest idea, it is done uniquely enough to remain interesting and fun. There’s no limit to the amount that you can rewind in a level and you can even rewind to before you fell into that gaping pit of sparkling spikes. This feature makes puzzles that would be impossible in a conventional platformer laughably simple. Each stage either changes the rules of time manipulation or gives you a new ability to work with. Otherwise, they’re all very similar in purpose: Use your ability to muck with time to collect puzzles pieces and open various doors with ludicrously fragile keys, all in the hopes of finding your princess.

The story contradicts itself a few times, but is so open to interpretation, that it really doesn’t matter. Just when you think you’ve figured out who the Princess is, or that she may not be in the castle that you’re heading towards, you’re thrown for a loop. I’ve pieced together a handful of possible explinations, half of which seem to be completely and utterly different from what most forum-goers think. I’ll refrain from giving anything away in this review because I do think that everyone should experience the “Huh, but I thought he…” feeling that I went through playing this game. Most people won’t give a damn though, if for no other reason than the fact that what you’re seeing and hearing are so damned beautiful that it doesn’t matter what they’re trying to get you to read.

Braid is a gorgeous game. If you’ve ever wanted to walkthrough a watercolor painting, this is your chance. It brings back memories of What Dreams May Come‘s visuals of heaven: Brush strokes and deep textures that help bring the levels to life. The soundtrack fits with it perfectly, each song matching the tone of it’s corresponding level.

There are a few flaws, but nothing bad enough to warrant skipping out on this incredible game. I know that if you’re reading this review, you’ve probably read or watched a dozen others with that same sentiment. It’s for a reason. Braid is well worth its fifteen dollar price tag, it’s lack of replay value or multiplayer is moot when you take into consideration what this game is trying to do. It’s giving the player something new, exciting and fun. It’s not rehashing a popular game and cranking out a profit from the mindless bastards that care for nothing more than headshots. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good mindless explosion fest, but for every Halo we need a Bioshock. This indie title is a good start. With any luck, it’s success will fuel more innovation than imitation.