Playing Fallout 3

I hate when I hear, “it’s such a nice today. You should be outside than inside playing video games”. To me this implies cultural discrimination. Somehow staying ‘inside’ is for degenerates and normal/successful people are out. Regardless, of if it’s a nice day or not, which could mean going to the cinema I don’t see how video games should be treated differently.

Recently, I have been playing Fallout 3 (Bethesda Games Studios, 2008) and enjoying its beautiful post- apocalyptic world, set in the 50s. You play as a girl/boy in search of their dad.  The style of the game makes you think tactic in ammo and speech.  Each day I’ve been playing more and more, immersed in its freedom.  Compared to most open world games Fallout 3 is fluid in game play and unique in this sense. Although, I have to admit, sometimes I have no direction and spend a lot of time killing; however violence metaphorically suits its dog –eat -dog world. When you tactically kill someone you get to witness graphic scattered limbs in a very cinematic montage. This may seem problematic to an outsider, but I feel Fallout 3 has helped me morally. I gave a fellow explorer some water and helped a character find their family.

However, there was also that time I caught slaves to gain entry into Paradise Falls. After seeing it’s so called ‘paradise’ which had slave children and prostitutes, it made me feel bad and wished I hadn’t been so corrupt. Luckily one of the children spoke to me, he pleaded for help.  I couldn’t do it straight away due to lack of achievement points and ability to hack into a computer. But once I achieved this, I went back and helped them escape.  I become Dirty Harry and used my own code, this was a terrific and rewarding moment.

In another scenario, I stumbled across the location Oasis, a sacred space where people worship a giant tree which spreads energy and serenity. However, it was told different by the tree. He is really a man trapped inside and wants you to end his life.  But the leader wants you to expand the tree’s energy and spread its root. Luckily having such freedom in game play allows you to decide whether you want to take part in the mission or not. Although, most of the missions are pretty cool and morally challenging I don’t see why you wouldn’t. I needed longer to think. I stopped the game and reassessed my thoughts.  To me this was social commentary on euthanasia and a tricky one. Whether to listen to the tree’s wishes or keep Oasis green. I helped the tree.

Currently, I found a new area with escaped slaves. The leader was hospitable and offered my food and a place to sleep. I thought considering how hard it is to find food that it is nice to see a caring side to humanity.  He told me about a plan he has, although, he didn’t give me much detailing it involves rescuing other slaves. I thought brilliant. Hands down, my favourite moment was rigging a conservative political dictatorship from a guy called Dave who has two wives and a nasty tongue. I convinced his first wife who used to be in a feminist type organisation to get involved. When the winning vote went to Dave’s wife it proved yet again, a satisfying moment.

I’m still playing and not sure if I’m close to finishing.  I could go outside and read or do something ‘productive’.  But then I’m having so much fun exploring, learning and actively making moral stances that I wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to make.

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Oscar Baiting and un- recognition

Is it just me, or has it become predictable to pick an Oscar winner? Each year I wonder why I get excited when I am always disappointed by the spectacle. When Argo (Affleck 2012) won best picture over Amour (Haneke 2012), I wondered if I had missed something. Don’t get me wrong the film was good, but safe, when you compare it to the other nominees. Argo is not the sort of film we’ll be coming back in 10 years time and commenting on its cinematic influence. In other words, is it right that Ben Affleck and Milos Foreman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 1975) are both Oscar winning directors? I may be relying on a nostalgic perspective rather than supporting present day winners, but there is a reason films are labelled “Oscar Bait”. However, I am not basing my argument on this model but what I believe to be a decline in cinema recognition.

Some of the cast from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Belive it or not, you won.

 The term Oscar Bait, arguably, started in the 1990s when winners such as Dances with Wolves (Costner 1990), Schindler’s List (Spielberg 1993) and Braveheart (Gibson 1995) provided evidently winning themes. In short, they were highly produced and epic costume dramas. Using well- known actors and directors used skewed political and historical subtexts to drive its narrative forward. Today, The Kings Speech (Hooper 2010) fits into this regal costumed category.

Have we progressed from the 90s? Well maybe, we’re not using celebrities like Costner and Gibson anymore but have moved towards lesser known actors like Dev Patel and Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle 2008). These guys gave an American audience a taste of India, while the Oscar crowd feel in love with French actor Jean Dujardin’s (The Artist, Hazanavicius 2011), winning speech. Without using such obviously high production values, these films allude to the idea of independent filmmaking and ‘culture’. However, their narratives are typically underdog stories and end with some kind of closure opposed to the other non-conventional nominations like The Master (Anderson 2012) or the political truths of Zero Dark Thirty (Bigelow 2012). Perhaps, in order to obtain the same standard of cinema recognition the board should re-examine current nominees with awarded  work of the  pre 90s,  when the Oscar was awarded to benchmark films like The Apartment (Wilder 1960), The French Connection (Friedkin 1971) and Annie Hall (Allen 1977). The only time I’ve felt like the Oscars went against this new norm was when No Country for Old Men (Ethan and Joel Coen 2007) won best picture. It proved that the Oscars were un-predicable and recognised a film with all its lack of closure and disruptions to character arc to adhere to the level of the masses. However the Coen brother’s latest Inside Llewyn Davis (Ethan and Joel Coen 2013), didn’t receive any nominations.

When 12 Years a Slave (McQueen 2014) won best picture, I thought that’s pretty typical.  In fairness to the film, I’m yet to see it, I have enjoyed McQueen’s visionary in other films. The sceptic in me believes 12 Years a Slave won because the Oscars wanted to come across PC and respond to film’s subject matter. Else, why wasn’t McQueen’s controversial but excellent film about a sex addict, Shame (McQueen 2012) nominated? It seems winners are the result of what constitutes as an appropriate narrative, subject or perhaps director, going on the debacle that flagged Kathyrn Bigelow and her ‘pro’ torture themes.  In a similar sense Her (Jonze 2014) was nominated for best picture, but let’s be honest, stood no chance against 12 Years a Slave. Although, Her did win in the best original screenplay category, it feels narratives that don’t comply to the Oscar bait rules can only be regarded in alternatives categories, certainly not best picture. Her is a refreshing look at the digital age and where we’re heading. It has beautiful cinematography and a progression too Oscar bait, the sort of narrative that would have been recognised pre 90s.

The mechanisms of the Oscar Bait label still seem relevant when historical narratives reflecting American history or the appropriate underdog story wins. It’s a shame to see unrecognised work ‘miss-out’ when they should be awarded for their progression in cinema and upholding the standard of the past.

  

If you need more convincing. Check out the history of the Oscars:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Picture

Comic-con and its players

I never thought I would see Batman with man boobs. I did at emerald city comic -con. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. Seeing people in passionate costumes made me wish I could let myself go and have fun.

I arrived, got myself a program and ruled out spending $35 to have a photo with Lance Reddick or as I know him as Lt. Daniels (The Wire). My first port of anger was not finding a Beavis and Butthead t-shirt in small but L and XL. I was told, “Small always sells out in the west coast”. So why don’t you get more smalls? Better still why assume chicks don’t watch the show and everyone who does is big. Luckily I found a Jurassic Park t-shirt.

My small fitting Jurassic tee

I also eyed off a simple but effective Laura Dern costume. No tits, just clever. This is not to say don’t get your tits out. Please do. It is to suggest that majority of the gawking didn’t seem to get the whole gender reclaiming thing. It wasn’t until I got to see Matt Fraction and illustrator Chip Zdarsky’s panel on comic Sex Criminals that I heard the whole challenging normative gender structures. Fraction discussed his personal experiences of how women act like men in their “secret” language.  This put a smile on my face.

The very awesome Matt Fraction

Comic -Con attracts a strange crowd. Not strange in the sense that it’s weird, but in terms of binaries.  Like tits and family’s rationality and creativity. I saw dads perform strange camera taking poses and heard questions about the feel of latex. I saw mums in high cut bodysuits. I saw a mermaid in a rush approached by a man for a photograph and apologised she didn’t have the time. He used the whole it’s for my daughter thing. But I didn’t see his daughter in sight. Was he lying? I do realise that people like to dress up and its fun. But it’s common manners to understand if someone says no.

I was confronted with comic- con. I wasn’t used to embracing geekdom. I love pop culture, comics, games and all that jazz. But I don’t call myself a nerd or act a certain way because I am. Maybe that’s why comic- con made me feel uneasy. I happy to say I’m into pop culture but the indie kind. I’m my own stereotype. I wished I dressed up or someone understood my angry face. I wished I had shaken the Laura Dern girl’s hand. Then I saw two girls dressed as Wayne and Garth, that’s when I enjoyed comic-con.

SXSW 2014

About three weeks ago I was in Austin. I was there for SXSW, a festival showcasing gaming, film and music. I was there for the last week, the music part. I had no SXSW pass but visited the free unofficial gigs. My favourite venue was Gypsy Lounge located on the east side.  I considered getting a free flash sailor jerry tattoo but hesitant when discovering I would be inked according to a chance wheel. In this venue, I saw the three piece rock surf band Guantanamo Baywatch. What a great name, I thought. I also loved the LA electronic duo Youth Code, these guys were unique and quite something.  I spent some nights walking through Downtown. Downtown was a haven when events had finished. It was bustling at 2am and a party itself. Some people looked like they had been hanging around there all day.

 SXSW uses a mix of local and mainstream.  Lady Gaga was there and had a vomit artist to, well, vomit on her. While Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Blondie and Damon Albarn performed.  I met a local who remember what SXSW stood for. It started back in 1987 known as a festival for emerging artists. He now believes it is a place for big named artists to buy into the scene. 

This poor dude got trampled on

SXSW was not without its own controversy, this put a damper on the festival. An intoxicated driver killed three and critically injured 25. Not to mention Tyler the Creator was a douche. He player at a free Thrasher party, first in best dressed. This suited me as I was happy to get their early to see Fucked Up. The problem was, once Tyler got on stage he yelled out to the rest of the plebs who hadn’t gained entry and urged them to barge in. This was not cool as about 200 people entered and overfilled the venue making it unsafe. Tyler was bratty, giving know viable reason other than wanting people to get into the venue. Tyler should have at least acknowledged it was a dangerous move. He was later arrested at the airport for “inciting violence”. Someone described it best online that Tyler is a cry-baby and attention seeker.

The chaos begins

I stayed a day after the festival. It was a little weird. I felt like I should have gone already. Locals breathed a sigh of relief and un- ironically said the words y’all. It was sad to see businesses close and food trucks drive away. I stood there hoping the owners will have enough money until next year, I suppose.