The Review Thread

[Fluffyumpkins]

Movie: God Bless America - Spoilers below.

I'll save the finer details of the plot, but this is essentially an angry movie about a guy who is tired of the general attitude of many Americans. He decides to murder people he believes are not fit to live in society. It's a dark comedy that makes a point, but at times can get a bit too preachy. Either way, I think it highlights a lot of problems with America as a country and the values we hold sacred. I feel like I can empathize with the main character to a point where it feels disturbing, which is an emotion a good movie should be able to elicit. It isn't a fantastic film, but the first half is definitely worth the watch. 7/10 for being willing to show something graphic that we've all thought about at the risk of looking sadistic and being unprofitable.

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[Riot]

Movie review - Looper

I had pretty high expectations and for the most part it lived up to them. It was well-shot, written, and acted yet still had a bit of an independent movie feel to it as well. The effects are well done and the setting reminds me of a mix of Blade Runner/Children of Men. The whole time traveling idea was pulled off pretty well, but just like any movie when time travel enters the picture plot holes can kinda seep their way in. It's definitely more of a noir thriller that makes you think about moral repercussions instead of a regular action movie. It's kind of like this year's Drive in that regard. It's not afraid to slow down the pace and build suspense and that's what I liked about it aside from the overall idea of the movie. The ending is well done as well, though there are a couple of possible plotholes I can think of that I wanna discuss with somebody to clarify. Overall I really recommend it to anybody who likes sci-fi or thriller noirs. It's kinda like the Terminator if it was written by Philip K Dick (lots of changing the future, assassins, paranoia, drugs, weird powers, etc.)

9/10!

[Riot]

Movie - Wreck it Ralph

I enjoyed the movie overall! I think I enjoyed all the little references throughout more than the second half which was more of the actual plot of the story (which was still pretty good). Obviously it's geared towards kids but there were a lot of old school references I noticed. A few of my favorites were the graffiti messages around the game hub like "Aerith Lives" and "Sheng Long was here." I really liked the overall art style which was very pixelated and retro. It's even got a virtual Skrillex for Chad since he loves dubstep.

I give it:

[Merk]

I left disappointed. I am a child and I just wanted a shit load of video game references but instead I got 20 minutes of video games references and 70 minutes of shit that doesn't interest me because it didn't tickle the part of my brain that longs for nostalgia.

[Pokebis]

I was also a bit disappointed they didn't draw out the gimmick.
The dialogue, effects, and references were wonderful, but the plot itself was generic and boring.
I wanted them to spend more time exploring more of the virtual games rather than sticking to one to tell Disney's plot-bucket drawing.

[Fluffyumpkins]

I enjoyed both the movie and Paper. John C Reilly could have done a lot more to make Ralph a funny and awkward character, but in general I got what I wanted from the story. It was a welcome change from the usual love-love princess that exists in just about every other Disney movie. I hope this breathes a bit of life into the dying arcade scene. Maybe a sequel with even more vidya game references is in order.

I had to switch seats mid-movie because some obnoxious teenagers couldn't help but call out the game being referenced whenever something appeared. KANO! PAC MAN! STREET FIGHTER! The last bunch of movies I've seen always have people texting, answering phones, talking, and generally ruining the experience. It isn't worth $10 a ticket to deal with the people.

[Riot]

Persona 4 Golden - Wow! I just finished the game with 78 1/2 hours on the clock, and that's with only a fair amount of grinding since I started on hard mode. This game is an awesome mix of dungeon crawler/old school turn-based RPG, crime case text adventure, dating/relationship sim (your relationships affect the strength of your Personas and characters' ability in battles), and Pokemon-esque style gathering and leveling. The game is packed full of content and has a New Game+ mode to continue on with if you really want to try and perfect all your social links/Persona abilities/stats. It can be pretty animuuu~~ but at the same time the story is so good and there's such an emphasis on relationships and dialogue that you actually grow to care about most of the characters, and there are plenty of plot twists and false leads throughout since you're trying to solve a giant murder case.

Presentation-wise, the game is pretty perfect. The graphics and overall style is vibrant and really pops on the Vita screen. The music is funky and awesome. Man, I dunno what it is but I just love portable stuff since I can turn it on and off and resume immediately from anywhere so I can just relax in bed or watching TV on the couch and fight some monsters! Vita is awesome in that regard - it has all the old PS1 RPGs for download for like 5 bucks.. already played Chrono Cross, Wild ARMs, and now I'm gonna play Breath of Fire 4 since I never played it.

The downsides of the game are that early on, at least on hard/very hard, battles can be super frustrating. If you (or an enemy) gets hit with an elemental spell they're weak to, they get knocked down and the caster gets a second turn. Oftentimes, in the first couple dungeons before you have good Personas or have leveled up your social ranks so that your party members can help you up immediately or can withstand fatal blows, bosses can be pretty tough. The thing is though, it's never totally unfair - you have to really be tactical, guard at the appropriate times, and use buffs/debuffs wisely. When your main character dies, it's game over too, which can be frustrating as some bosses use powerful attacks before they die and one unlucky strike can make you restart! Persona 3 was pretty brutal about retrying, like if you went up a bunch of floors in the tower you'd have to restart from the last save; Persona 4 is better and lets you retry from the entrance of that floor, so you never really lose that much progress. Still annoying! Other possible downside (for some) is that there is a lot of dialogue, though it's very interactive and your responses actually do matter for social ranks/relationship points and stuff. You are in school and the teachers ask you questions and you take tests, so it's actually kinda fun.

All in all, Persona 4 Golden is probably a 10/10. One of the best RPGs I've ever played, at least from the standpoint of being so addicted that I can't put it down. It might not be the best of the best in all the categories (music/battle system/graphics/etc.), but the mishmash of everything and sheer amount of content is a pretty awesome package. It's one of those awesome RPGs that even people burnt out on RPGs would probably like. IMO, it's a game probably worth getting a Vita for if you like RPGs (especially since there's a lot of other classic RPGs available too if you're feeling nostalgic). Now I can actually go play the Persona 4 Arena story mode, which is an actual sequel to Persona 3/4 and is another 30+ hours! This is a game you kinda need to play with a guide and multiple saves at times, especially towards the end, as it is kinda annoying because if you don't respond to certain questions with certain responses, you don't get to move on to the extra part of the game and the best endings (there are 3-4 endings and you have to do a few specific things to qualify for the best one FYI).