“It’s more than a little ironic that what makes the original Tron (released in 1982) so visually striking isn’t the rudimentary computer graphics that it features, which would go on to inspire the widespread use of CGI in cinema. No, it’s something far more low-tech: the ‘backlit animation’ that would give the film’s ‘in computer’ sequences an ethereal glow; it was so expensive and time-consuming that it would never be used in another film. Although it is, in its own way, visually stunning, Tron: Legacy’s lack of such a ‘human’ process in its development gives the film a feeling that’s far colder than the original.”

Link (Blu-Ray review)

“If you were believe the opinions of many members of the forum for Twin Galaxies, the organisation that tracks videogame world records, and which plays a major role in King of Kong, King of Krap, as they so wittily call it, is the most egregious misrepresentation of the truth since, I don’t know, the Hitler Diaries or something. As any good active viewer knows, however, there’s no such thing as the absolute truth – especially when it comes to documentaries.”

I really enjoyed King of Kong, and I’m amazed at the reaction to it from certain members of the, er, classic-arcade-high-score-gaming community. I’m always surprised when people think documentaries purport to show some sort of absolute, objective truth, though I suppose I should be getting less surprised. The journalist panel at MIGS (which I still haven’t found time to talk about) similarly surprised me with the amount of people who think reviewers intend to offer the same, but that’s another story.

I thought some reviewers were a bit cruel about King of Kong (to the level where they missed the point entirely.) The quote from Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post “The competition is so vicious because the stakes are so low” stands out in my mind, because I don’t think that’s true, but I do feel like the reaction to the film is so vicious because the quibbles are so small.

We actually have a thread (began by Robert Mruczek, who looks like a horrible unwashed nerd in the film with no effort on the filmmakers’ part) where people don’t seem to understand the concept of editing!

To be fair, a lot of people have their head on straight, and see that there really is no issue. Twin Galaxies is represented very fairly, and even Billy Mitchell, who, if you’re to believe some people’s reaction, may as well be seen eating babies while driving a combine harvester over a field full of puppies during the film, is given depth. In both cases, though, that is within the framework of the narrative that Seth Gordon has (to an extent) constructed using the power of filmmaking techniques! Oh the humanity!

I do wonder what the reaction within the spelling bee community to Spellbound was. I bet it was just as angry.

“Mystery Science Theater 3000 is, arguably, the greatest document of the late 20th century. The premature end of the series in 1999 was bittersweet — while the show would never render itself irrelevant, its loss has led to a void that nothing else has been able to fill.”

I love Mystery Science Theater 3000 to bits. The only show that comes close to it as a document of the late 20th century is probably The Simpsons, but considering that show is painfully bad now I don’t hold it in as high regard as I used to.

“What’s your favourite film of the last couple of years? Well, whatever it was, imagine you’d been waiting for what felt like forever for it to be released on DVD but then found out it was released in literally the laziest fashion possible. A barebones, non-anamorphic release with no special features, a ton of trailers before you even get to the main menu, nothing in the case other than the disc and, absurdly, burned-in subtitles that are so inexpertly done they occasionally cut the ends of words off. If you’ve managed to imagine all that, now imagine my dismay to find that this is exactly what has happened to my favourite film of the last couple of years: Joachim Trier’s masterful Reprise.”

If you live in North America you pretty much must pick this up. If you live in the UK, you may be lucky enough to see it in the cinema, as it’s currently making it’s way around the country thanks to Diffusion Pictures. It plays at the Edinburgh Filmhouse between the 12th and 14th October and then at the Glasgow Film Theatre between the 15th to 18th, so go and check it out if you, er, live in either of those places.

“There’s something almost charming in how bad the latest sequel in the Rush Hour franchise is, finally emerging six years after the last installment.

Director Brett Ratner and writer Jeff Nathanson have unintentionally crafted a film that manages to parody itself. It represents the confused, simplistic view of the world that we imagine an American in unfamiliar waters would possess as they attempt to mock that very conceit.”

I think it would be easy to say I’ve over-analysed Rush Hour 3 in this review. It is, after all, just another bad movie. However, I felt it was kind of worth exploring why I found it an interesting bad movie rather than a boring bad movie. Not to say it’s “so bad it’s good” or anything – it isn’t. It’s a bit of a stretch to even call it charming, as taken straight it’s quite offensive.

Really my position in this review is one of condescension, which is a bit mean, but if you’re going to make a film this willfully stupid then you probably deserve it.

“The names Frankie and Annette probably aren’t the most recognisable ones to be added to the MGM Movie Legends Collection. Even if we were to mention their full names, Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, the likelihood is that the average person on the street would respond with, at best, ambivalence, unless they particularly noted Frankie Avalon’s appearance in Grease. There are, however, some really good reasons to consider picking up the collection. Those reasons are most easily seen in the five included Beach Party films: Beach Party, Bikini Beach, Muscle Beach Party, Beach Blanket Bingo and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.”

I don’t think that much of this cheapo set, but I heartily recommend that if you ever have a chance to see a Beach Party film (and you’re not already familiar with them) that you check it out. They’re incredibly weird and an excellent guilty pleasure.

“A lot of strange things have been done in the name of anthropomorphism in CGI children’s films: everything from vehicles that managed to build themselves roads and towns in Pixar’s Cars to male cows that inexplicably had udders in the risible Barnyard has been done. By those standards, a film about surfing penguins on a tropical island filmed in a mock documentary style is practically the picture of restraint.”

I must admit, Surf’s Up sounded like the stupidest idea of all time when I first heard of it, but after seeing the trailer, which featured some incredibly pleasing looking waves, cute penguins and Brian Posehn, I was suckered into seeing it (for free and for review, natch.)

I actually quite liked it! One thing I didn’t mention in the review is the cameos from pro surfers Kelly Slater and Rob Machado, playing themselves as penguins. Which is interesting, and has let me to think that these penguins exist in an alternate world where penguins, not humans, evolved and became sentinent, with history following roughly the same chain of events, but in penguin society rather than human. So penguins would remember “Penguin Harbour” when those dastardly Japanese penguins attacked without warning in World War 2, or something.

It’s clear I have thought about this far too much.

“Director Bob Odenkirk was one of the creative geniuses behind Mr. Show, and star Will Arnett was one of the standout performers in the sadly missed absurdist sitcom Arrested Development. With that in mind, it’s easy to fool yourself into thinking that Let’s Go to Prison might be an overlooked comedy classic just waiting to be discovered. It pains me to say this but it isn’t.”

I may be the editor of Games On Deck now, but I’m still a freelancer! And, more than that, I’m not actually at GDC this year (sob) so it’s business as usual here.

I am deeply in love with Bob Odenkirk because of Mr. Show, and I can absolutely see what he was trying to do with Let’s Go to Prison. Totally. I didn’t think too much of it, though, which is a shame. I suppose you have to be honest with the people you love, how else would they know that you respect them? So, sorry, Bob. Better luck next time!

“Terry Gilliam gives an introduction before the film begins on this two-disc, special edition release of Tideland: ‘Many of you will hate this film,’ he begins, with what can only be called an air of resignation, ‘but many of you will love this film,’ he adds with optimism. It’s unfortunate that he didn’t also say: ‘many of you will be surprised to find there’s actually little in this film to elicit such extreme emotions.’”

What more to say about Tideland, really?

“If you’re thinking about picking up Confetti on DVD, it’s probably because of one of two reasons: you’re either in the market for a British film with at least three weddings but don’t want any funerals in it (sorry, Richard Curtis) or you’re a fan of contemporary British television comedy and you want to see some of its stars on ‘the big screen.’ (But considering you’ll most likely be watching it on a TV anyway, that’s an odd bit of logic.)”

For some reason they seem to remove all of the formatting from reviews on Exclaim’s website (you know, paragraphs and that) which makes my reviews flow rather strangely; breathlessly, even. Oh well.

Robert Webb said of Confetti, “I had a miserable time making it and I think the finished film is an underwhelming mess.” It’s not hard to see where he’s coming from. He did spend the entire film in the nude and, as it was entirely improvised, I’m sure a lot of his funniest stuff ended up on the cutting room floor. The film isn’t particularly funny, I’d admit, but it’s okay.