February 2012
1 post
16 tags
My Favorite 80 Seconds of Music from John Williams
As many of you already know, John Williams, the master musician who has brought us some of cinema’s greatest movie themes, turned 80 today. In honor of his work, I’ve decided to pick out my favorite 80 seconds of music from the scores he has written over the years.
Most of these clips don’t play to their fullest unless you’re listening to them in within the full track...
December 2011
1 post
17 tags
My Favorite Music from 2011
Movie and video game soundtracks are at the core of what makes me a geek. They’re responsible for well over 50% of my iTunes music library (and probably partially responsible for most girls having no interest in me during high school). 2011 was a fantastic year for new soundtracks; listed below are some of my favorites of the year in different categories.
Favorite Video Game Soundtrack
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July 2011
1 post
10 tags
Are Circles on Google+ Actually New?
Like many others, I’ve wanted something like Google+ Circles for a long time, but since the service is still so new, it’s hard to tell if Google will ever deliver what I want from Circles, or if it will just be another failed attempt at categorizing our friends online (see Twitter lists and Facebook lists).
As someone who has sorted all of his friends on Facebook already, the only...
June 2011
1 post
5 tags
Farewell to Trending Cinema
It is with a heavy heart and baggy eyes that we announce the closing of the curtains on the Trending Cinema podcast. It has been a beautiful 18 months, and we’re deeply proud of the 40 episodes and 2 specials we created (a little shy of the 100 episode-benchmark we were going for; close though!) but in recent months our priorities have shifted. Jon has moved on from college life, moved across the...
April 2011
1 post
4 tags
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
While I always enjoy watching quality anime, every now and then I hit a state of anime-craving. My most recent one started early this week, and last night I finally got around to satisfying my anime needs with Mamoru Hosoda’s The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.
This 2006 anime film tells the story of Makoto, a teenage girl who discovers a mysterious artifact that grants her the ability to...
March 2011
2 posts
8 tags
Rango
I had the privilege of seeing Rango in theaters last night. After I woke up this morning, I immediately thought about how amazing it is, which, in the past, has been a consistent indicator for some of my favorite recent films. I went into Rango not knowing much about it, and I’d recommend doing the same. Overall though, the film is a perfect blend of action, humor, and beauty,...
6 tags
February 2011
3 posts
5 tags
Tiny Wings
Tiny Wings is the latest 99¢ app to hit #1 in Apple’s paid iOS shop. I just finished playing it for the first time, and I had one of those “this-is-so-cute-I-have-to-tell-someone-about-it” moments.
The game stars an adorable little bird whose wings are too tiny to fly. Fortunately for him, the world is populated by beautiful rolling hills, which allow him to slide into the...
4 tags
Happy 25th Zelda!
As some of you already know, Zelda turned 25 years old today. While my experience with the franchise didn’t start until Ocarina of Time, the series has made a clear impact on my love for video games, and I await Skyward Sword with much anticipation.
Music has always played a large role in my video game experience. I celebrated Mario’s 25th by listening to a variety of Mushroom...
3 tags
Rethinking Follow Friday
Follow Friday has become a large part of Twitter culture. Every week, Twitter users encourage each other to try following new people. As someone who enjoys meeting new people through the micro-blogging service, I think Follow Friday is an important and helpful part of interacting with people online… well, in theory at least.
The problem with Follow Friday doesn’t reside in its concept....
January 2010
4 posts
4 tags
A Second Chance
Around this time last year, I was waiting for the fifth Scott Pilgrim book to hit store shelves. It seemed like the wait was taking forever, so I decided to grab a comic book from Calvin’s library in the meantime. The book I picked was Tricked by Alex Robinson. I remembered reading and enjoying Robinson’s first book Box Office Poison, so I figured Tricked would be a good choice. ...
5 tags
The Internet Says, "All Your Game Journalists Are...
For my Media Criticism class last semester, I wrote a paper on game journalism in light of the changing media landscape. I thought some of you might be interested in checking it out. As always, please share your own thoughts in the comments!
The Internet Says, “All Your Game Journalists Are Belong To Us”
To put it simply: the video game audience has changed. Sure, there’s still...
9 tags
Looking Forward in 2010
It’s already the third full week of 2010. At this point, I’ve finally made the date adjustment in my mind. I don’t think of 2010 as “the future” anymore; instead I think of it as “this year.” While I realize everyone is not on that same boat yet, I figured it would be a good time to look ahead and share the things I’m most excited for in 2010. In...
4 tags
Batman: Hush
I usually don’t gravitate to comic book stories featuring capes and cowls, but there are always exceptions to that rule. For me, these exceptions usually feature the well-known, critically acclaimed titles, such as Watchmen and Batman: The Long Halloween. After a hearty recommendation from my cousin, I decided to go ahead and give Batman: Hush a shot, and I’m rather glad that I...
December 2009
6 posts
3 tags
My Top 10 Films of 2009
Another year has come and gone. I’ve really enjoyed this year in film, so narrowing down a top ten was no easy task. Feel free to share your own favorite movies of the year in the comments section. I want to hear what you loved and why!
#10 Where the Wild Things Are
“Wild Things” was easily one of my most anticipated films of 2009. While it didn’t exceed my...
3 tags
Merry Christmas!
My favorite Christmas movie is The Santa Clause. This isn’t because of any well-acted or fantastically edited scene; I love The Santa Clause because I’ve watched it every year for as long as I can remember. I’ve grown up loving Tim Allen’s sarcastic one-liners, the ugly sweaters worn by Judge Reinhold, and the Christmas magic found in Charlie’s snow globe....
3 tags
My Top 10 Film Scores of the Decade
As 2010 approaches, I see almost everyone making their “Top Ten Films of the Decade” lists. I’m having enough trouble deciding what my top ten of 2009 are, so at the moment, I don’t have plans to put together my top ten films of the decade. However, as a lover of film music, I decided it would be fun to put together a list of my top ten film scores of the past decade....
1 tag
Every day the same dream. →
I just came across this gem of a game thanks to a tweet from Ryan O’Donnell. I firmly believe games are evolving as a medium, creating new and even thought-provoking experiences. Seeing something like this in an online flash game is very refreshing. There’s no need to spoil what happens - it’s free to play and doesn’t take too long finish. So, what are you waiting for?!...
4 tags
Third Time's a Charm for Mario & Luigi
Over the years, Mario titles have transported video gamers to countless imaginative locations, from underwater caverns to the far corners of the galaxy. Bowser’s Inside Story takes players to perhaps the strangest location in Mario’s history – Bowser’s innards. But does this wacky setting help stir up the embers in the potentially stale Mario saga? As the third title in the Mario & Luigi...
8 tags
Brothers
Ahhh, it’s Oscar season. While a bunch of this year’s “contenders” haven’t yet seen their wide-releases, films are slowly, but finally, starting to roll out, making these harsh, cold, winter months one of the best times of year for the movie lover. While I’m still waiting on films like Up in the Air to make the rounds, thankfully movies like Brothers have already made the jump outside of New...