A Weekly Culture Dump
Just in time for the holidays, Omicron is here to bring you good tidings of great cheer and an almost assured “winter surge” for the good boys and girls of the medical industry. I’m not particularly worried, myself, having had COVID-19 and being extra-fully vaxed. But I can’t help but feel that this will once again put a huge damper on normal holiday festivities, which sucks because I was just getting used to the idea of having normal human interactions again. I guess it’s time to cozy up to some media to distract from our ever-crumbling world.
FILM CLUB – WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK
Rope (1948) – Directed by Alfred Hitchcok
My first Alfred Hitchcock film was Vertigo (1958), and I saw it about 5 years ago. After I saw it, I tried going down a Beatles-esque rabbit hole of consuming everything I possibly could from Hitchcock’s filmography. Unfortunately, that was pretty difficult to do. To put it mildly, there isn’t a lot of ways to watch Hitchcock films without purchasing some exorbitantly-priced DVD boxset. (And who watches DVDs anymore?)
So when the Criterion Channel launched “Hitchcock for the Holidays” last week, I took the opportunity to watch Rope, a film that’s been on my Hitchcock bucket list for some time. In this one, we get to watch two budding Patrick Batemans commit “the perfect murder” while all but flaunting their crime in front the victim’s family and friends. Hitchcock shot this 80-minute suspense thriller masterpiece in 10 long-takes, with expertly choreographed camera movements and brilliantly paced dialogue. James Stewart does James Stewart, as he is want to do. But I came away more impressed by the performances of John Dall and the charming Joan Chandler in one of her few film performances. If you have a spare hour-twenty, which you undoubtedly do, give it a watch.
IDIOT BOX – WHAT I’M WATCHING
Band of Brothers
I was the perfect age to watch Band of Brothers when Band of Brothers originally aired. But for some reason, I never got around to it. Now I’m here in 2021 watching what is supposedly one of the best TV miniseries of all time and…it’s fine. A few decent set pieces here and there, but I haven’t really had enough time to connect with these characters yet. So when one of them takes a bullet to the head in episode two, I feel genuine shock that is then followed by a shrug because I’m not sure which of the 20 characters I’ve seen so far just died (not one of the “important” ones, I’m sure).
The high point for me so far is seeing a young Simon Pegg do an American accent.
GAMING IS FOR BABIES
On The Game Awards and It Takes Two
The Game Awards aired last night, and for the first time since it’s debut, I did not watch. An industry trailer package dressed up as an awards show, The Game Awards has always seemed a little off to me. It tries to legitimize the gaming industry with awards while simultaneously cheapening the awards by relying solely on upcoming game hype to promote the show. It’s a delicate balance that Geoff Keighley has never really pulled off. But I respect the effort.
Last night, It Takes Two, Hazelight’s charming little co-op romantic comedy game, won Game of the Year. This is not what most people’s idea of what a “Game of the Year” should be. This is not a AAA game with a multimillion dollar budget that pushes technology to it’s limits. It’s a quaint little game meant to be played with a friend, or significant other, and can be played couch co-op. It’s a throwback to what gaming used to feel like, and it seems like the game that Hazelight has always tried to make. I have really enjoyed the brief time I’ve spent with the game and I’m glad that a monolithic company like EA is still willing to invest in creativity and vision.
It may not be what we expected, but as game production budgets spiral, abuse runs rampant, and developer crunch continues to be a problem, It Takes Two might just be what the industry needs. It’s proof that you can make a game that people love without sacrificing ethics or morality.
FINAL THOUGHT
I’m really glad that I don’t live or work in New York City.
Mound of Wires 