#I need to have at least a basic idea on HOW to draw poor Mario yknow

[childofsardior]

was in deep pain while doing some studies of the Mario bros. and then I remembered I can't draw hoomans (I know it's a skill issue. I'm working on that ;v;)

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Darth Vader

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Here he is. The big one. The world’s most famous villain of all time, and this is no exaggeration; even people with only a fleeting knowledge of Star Wars, even people who have never seen it before in their lives, probably know who Darth Vader is. The dedicated an entire trilogy to showing how he ended up this way, and an entire trilogy to defeating him, and even after he’s dead his shadow looms over the new trilogy.

It’s really not hard to see why, either; everything about him just screams cool. He’s an intergalactic dictator wizard monk cyborg with a laser sword who has a castle on a lava planet and a space station the size of the moon that blows up planets, and that’s not even getting into the fact that he has the voice of Mufasa. Darth Vader is an icon, plain and simple, and if you think his status is all surface-level, well, this will hopefully show you there’s more to him.

Actor: There are a lot of people who put in the time to bring Vader to life, but let’s just go over the most notable actors. A lot must be said of David Prowse, the man in the suit during the original trilogy; while James Earl Jones’ voice certainly did a lot of work towards making Vader as intimidating and cool as he is, Prowse’s physical presence should absolutely not be understated. He’s the one who does the movements, who walks into the scenes, he was the one physically there, and it really cannot be said enough that he is a key aspect of why the original Vader worked, even if his voice was nowhere near intimidating enough.

Jones, of course, had a voice that was intimidating enough, and while Prowse brought the physical intimidation, Jones brought the vocal brilliance. Vader’s voice is so oft-arodied and iconic, and it’s all thanks to James Earl Jones’ stellar performance. IT’s just absolutely legendary no matter which way you cut it, to the point where even when he’s portraying a freshly-christened Vader who is still in the mindset of a whiny Anakin and screaming a massive NO to the heavens, he’s still awesome.

Of course, that does bring us to Anakin Skywalker, portrayed by Hayden Christensen, and who is the most divisive actor who played Vader, albeit in his pre-cyborg form. I think a lot of the problems Christensen was criticized for while portraying Vader in the prequels was due to Lucas and his poor direction, and not due to any inherent fault on his part, as Christensen is a good actor otherwise. Case in point: any scene in Revenge of the Sith where Christensen does not have to speak and instead has to rely on giving evil glares or just looking intimidating works. I think he does a great job in Revenge of the Sith overall, and his portrayal of Anakin definitely works best in that prequel due to him really selling the frustration of his superiors not taking him seriously or trusting him, which makes his eventual slide into villainy after putting his trust in Palpatine a lot easier to swallow.

Motivation/Goals: Vader’s motivations and goals are not exactly where he shines, as it is pretty standard evil overlord stuff: he wants to crush the rebels, serve his master, and do whatever needs to be done to ensure that the power he has does not get taken away. It’s standard stuff, and even at the time it likely wasn’t a wholly original idea, but part of the reason it probably feels so generic nowadays is that so many people in every art form imaginable – books, TV, video games, and other movies – have ripped Vader off to the point where he almost appears to be a generic doomsday villain if you only look at a summary of his goals. Thankfully, this is far from the case.

Personality: Vader’s personality is where he really shines. Revenge of the Sith paints the portrait of a brilliant, talented young man who is constantly looked down upon and ignored by his peers despite his numerous successes and who is unable to openly be with the woman he loves and who carries his children due to ridiculous rules; is it any wonder he was taken advantage of by a predatory elder and groomed into a psychopath, only realizing far too late what had been done to him? This aspect of his personality has often been criticized by those who hate the prequels, but I think it is important to show that Vader was once a normal, frustrated young man who honestly had good intentions and wanted to protect others, because it helps make his eventual turn away from the Dark Side and redemption at least be a little believable.

Once he truly becomes the Vader we all know and love, he loses sight of who he was and buries himself in the Vader persona. What happened on Mustafar with Padme and Obi-Wan broke Anakin, and so he truly throws himself into the Darth Vader identity. He becomes cold, ruthless, and downright terrifying, with only brief glimpses to the cornier, kinder persona that the man who hates sandf with a passion once had, the moment where he makes a lame pun in Rogue One being the perfect example of the cheesy Anakin of the prequels shining through if only for a brief moment before Vader’s final scene in Rogue One shows that Anakin has once more been suppressed and the terrifying Vader persona is out in full force, with the real Anakin only breaking through in the end to restore balance to the Force.

Final Fate: Vader, in a final act of heroism, picks up Palpatine and tosses him down into a pit to save the life of his son Luke. Ultimately, this means that Vader fulfilled that prophecy from so long ago and restored balance to the Force, redeeming him in the eyes of his son and allowing him to become one with the Force itself and stand beside his former mentors Obi-Wan and Yoda in the final scene. It is a bit cheesy and even a little hard to swallow if you think too hard, but come on, it’s a fun space opera where good triumphs over evil and true love prevails, so just let Anakin have his little redemption.

Best Scene: The scene in which he emerges from the pitch black hallway in Rogue One and mercilessly slaughters a group of rebels with absolutely no effort, washing away decades of diminishing returns and undermining of his threat level in under a minute as the franchise reestablishes Vader as the horrifying threat he originally was.

Best Quote: Can it really be anything other than the (at the time) mind-blowing reveal he drops on Luke in The Empire Strikes Back after Luke accuses him of killing his dad? Say it with me now:

“No, I am your father.”

Some of you probably said it wrong, but I can assure you the line written above is exactly as it was said in the movie.

Final Thoughts & Score: There’s honestly no denying the level of impact Darth Vader has had; I’d say he’s up there with characters like Mickey Mouse and Mario, just an instantly identifiable character anyone off the top of their heads can name. George Lucas struck gold when he came up with this guy, that’s for sure. Is it any wonder that there are so many characters all across fiction who draw inspiration from Vader?

Vader stands tall as one of the greatest creations in pop culture, and though characters that copy him tend to offer diminishing returns – with a few notable exceptions, of course – he definitely is a wonderful source of inspiration, especially when it comes to designing a character who is still interesting and absorbing despite having seemingly simple, cliched motives. And while it is true Vader comes off as a bit cliched these days because he pretty much wrote the book on a lot of the cliches attributed to him and his ripoffs, my point still stands, because even in modern times you’d be hard pressed to hear anyone call Vader a poor villain despite his main goal basically being “kill rebels.”

Vader is a rare breed, and so deserves a rare score. He is the only villain as of now I think truly deserves an 11/10. He is the villain other villains wish they could be. He is the most striking character in the entire cast. He’s so downright cool, is it any wonder his own grandson decided to emulate him by becoming his biggest fanboy?

While Vader does ultimately redeem himself in the end, it serves as a culmination of one of the most profoundly tragic character arcs in cinema, as a wide-eyed idealistic boy full of love, hope, and a sense of righteousness is slowly and surely broken down by the world around him and the very heroes he idolized to the point where he is preyed upon by a predatory authority figure who whispers everything he wants to hear in his ear and offers him something he never got before: respect… and then from there, his life spirals downward ever further, until he ends up being utterly consumed by hatred as he burns alive on an alien planet before the man he considered a friend and a brother, the knowledge that his wife feared him in his mind as he was fried to a crisp; and when he is finally brought back as a cyborg, his first moments awake again are shaken by the revelation his wife is now dead, and he is responsible. And then from his lowest point, we see Vader climb again into the light, extremely slowly, until that final choice he makes where he can either do the right thing as he was always meant to or continue subjugating the galaxy that beat him down and abused him.

The fact he chose to be good in the end despite everything in his life prior, despite all of the crimes he committed, really makes him a far more interesting character than if he had been straight-up evil to the core. Instead, he is the ultimate darkly tragic fallen hero given one last shot of redemption in the arms of death. It’s beautiful in the cheesy, dramatic way only Star Wars can be, and I think that more than anything is why Vader has endured as a cultural icon, because at his core he is everything beautiful, tragic, and cheesy about Star Wars rolled into one awesome, black-clad Sith Lord.

[zentheatrics-blog]

The Other Fifty: A Thought On Sex In Cinema

For those that read my randomly written reviews, I want to thank you. Being able to spread my thoughts on various film concepts intrigues me. From movies that give you a HUD (nerd speak) to movies tackling tough subjects, I like to contemplate. This outlet is healthy and I truly enjoy it.

With that out of the way, let me begin by saying this is a review of Fifty Shades of Grey. It will follow a different format and a different approach, so give it some love and let me know if it tickles your fancy. Tedsters is still here, as well as a special guest star who will be revealed later. Say hi, Tedsters.

~Eating noddles~ Hi. ~Returns to eating noodles~

So let us begin. It won’t be that kind of ride, but it will be a kind of ride.

-The Essence of Entertaining Subject Matter-

One of the most intriguing nerdy experiences I had was working with Lunar Magic on the computer. For those that remember that phase of my life, I worked on making my own Super Mario World levels using a program called Lunar Magic. In each level I designed, I would come up with a concept that the community would call a “Gimmick”. To define in the context of the game, a gimmick is any idea that mixes up the gameplay by innovating it. A simple example is having a level where Mario has to jump on platforms that fade in and out. The unity of these platforms creates an intriguing aesthetic, while also challenging the player. Along with this, this gimmick expands on the default gameplay of Mario jumping. See, the thing is within a game you have the basic default gameplay and the gimmicks the player must go through. Good gameplay is important, as well as very well orchestrated gimmicks. Here is a list of things to consider when making gimmicks in a level:

Does the gimmick expand or challenge the default gameplay?

Is it innovative?

Does it draw in the player? ~Like the dreaded water levels of Mario~

Does it inspire or intrigue the player?

And lastly, does it fit within the game? Does the artwork match? Is it forced? Is there too little of it? How is the pacing of the game influenced by the gimmick?

When you consider these factors and how they relate to game design, you may even see how they could be related to any other subjective media. We see them in movies, art, and music. Kendrick Lamar, in some of his rap songs, will vary up his rap style to create multiple layers. Gimmicks. Wes Anderson will use the centering screen film style (default to him) while also adding unique situations to expand upon this (gimmicks). So how does this work with Fifty Shades of Grey?

It doesn’t. ~Finishes up noodles~ 

How do you even eat? Anyways. Next bolded text section!

-The Relation of Gimmicks to Fifty Shades-

I refuse to make a TL;DR for this, so hear me out. Fifty Shades of Grey has a lot of things going against it and I will note that here. First of all, there were two things I liked about the movie: the drunk scene where Anastasia Steele begins to tell hilarious jokes to a cringe-worthy Christian Grey. It was funny, on point, and actually felt natural compared to the rest of the movie. The second thing I liked about the movie was how Christian Grey had a document to sign to have sex with him. I liked the business set up for it. It was funny to me... I dunno.

Kinky Erik. ~Gets up, grabs a glass bottle Coke, and sits down~

Anyways... Gimmicks. Right. Okay.

So in movies, much like in level design, there is a need for good gimmicks. It is definitely true that good character development, pacing, plot development, and connecting to the audience are all important. As the same time, there are many B movies that are self aware in such a way that they know they are B movies. They give up on good character development, in a sense, to give a more rewarding film experience. Rocky Horror Picture Show comes to mind a little. Or some of Monty Python. Anyways, Fifty Shades of Grey does not fit this mold and as such I feel that the chemistry between the two characters is flat. Most people probably agree.

The pacing of the movie felt slow and predictable, along with the plot. The point is these elements did not draw me in and when I experienced the drunk scene or the sex document concept, I wanted more of that. The rest did not deliver that natural feeling where I felt a part of it. I felt more like I was simply sitting through two characters going through the motions instead of feeling emotions.

With that said, it leads to the gimmicks category. One of the movie’s focuses was on sex gimmicks, which I theorize has to be done very specifically in order to work with the rest of the above mentioned elements in a movie. It is like telling a daring joke where everything (the set up, the twist, and the punch line) is executed perfectly. I feel that with Fifty Shades, the sex gimmicks were fine to attempt to bring in the viewer. The issue is, it did not bring me in. I predict that this is due to not building a good default gameplay. The characters forced a thing that needed clarification. Christian can be a sex dominant, but I want to feel (bear with it) him. I want to relate to his struggles and his desires. I want to be a part of Anastasia’s character.

These gimmicks of sexual intrigue have to be played out by characters who care, at least on screen. It felt too much like going through the motions. The setting of the joke was off, even if the gimmicks themselves could totally work in a different setting. I remember my time watching Secretary and how I felt a part of the movie. The slapping scene felt dirty, but it also felt like I was part of it. With Fifty Shades, it felt like I was watching a soft core porn with no connection to the characters. On top of that (no pun intended), a gimmick can not be over done. That is what happened to Fifty Shades. 

With that said, let us get another view. ~Unlocks closest~

Enter Angela...

Well... I’m not sure why I was locked in a closet, per se, but I did have the debatable pleasure of listening to Erik mutter to himself the whole way through this review... and I suppose the first thing I need to do here is... Hang on...

*steals Tedsters’ Coke and crunches on some uncooked ramen*

Ha! I was starved... but not in the way Anastasia so clearly was in the film. My question is how come every time a film like this comes out the female protagonist seems to be a complete innocent in all ways sexual? Now, I understand this is a parody sloppy fanfiction  romantic story loosely based on the Twilight series, and Bella was the same as Ana in this - seemingly able to live her life on her own until the instant the main male character enters and then it’s all, “Save me, hold me, make me the way you imagine your woman to be [cuz I have no unique template to follow]!”

Now, Fifty Shades does improve vastly in the second film, but that is for another day. For this day, Ana is very clearly the damsel in need of direction. The thing is, there are times in the film when she almost seems to be playing to Christian’s whims, teasing (with that lip biting and the texting/messages), and the like. Unfortunately, for her, it does all go too far (at her own behest), and she up and leaves Christian.

To be honest, upon rewatching the film recently, I found that I actually do like Ana much more than Bella. Whereas Bella frequents the “roll over and let the man take control” approach, Ana mostly only does that with the sex scenes (which, I do agree, were far less hardcore than expected, given the books); in real life beyond that, Ana actually does have a little bit of a backbone and she does stand up for herself, even to the point of leaving at the end. Go Ana! (When I learned she was going to return to Christian’s arms in the next book/movie, I was peeved, but again, at least from the film’s standpoint, it was actually more reasonably presented, even if it was inconsistent at times).

To wrap this up a bit... Fifty Shades left something to be desired, and not just for Ana and Christian. It’s true - the only scenes that felt truly natural were the bar night and, actually, the small plane scene when Christian and Ana actually seemed to be having fun without needing a Red Room or a contract (screw contracts that order your way of screwing!). For the most part, the relationship didn’t seem to be based on much (again, more development was given in the second film to make it more understandable) and it was rather portrayed as shallow.

Ultimately, I would say Fifty Shades of Grey would serve better as a prequel, or a mini-sode in the grand scheme of the series. It didn’t really need to be a feature length movie, but isn’t that just the way these days with directors making their movies as long or spread out as possible (The Hobbit, Breaking Dawn and Harry Potter come immediately to mind)? I honestly think it would have worked just as well with some thoughtful cutting and editing of the existing scenes, some condensing, or at least a lot more character development. But that’s just me - I ask for a lot in wanting a decent storyline and relatable characters.

*Tosses the empty Coke bottle* Now that I’ve had my sugar for the week, I’m gonna run wild! Maybe that is why I was locked in the closet... Right, for my own good. Just like that contract was for Christian’s Ana’s, right? *runs away*

-To Sum It Up-

~Staring at his empty hand, without any Coke~ Well I definitely didn’t plan for this. I liked what she said... but now my drink... It is gone. Have you gotten paid yet?

Don’t be looking at me Teddy! Anyways. Overall Fifty Shades was a movie that did not do what I imagine the book was able to achieve. It had poor character and plot development. I agree with the mini-sode idea and how longer than necessary movies has become another modern day cinema mistake that is done way more than it should be. The Hobbit is a great example of this. I agree that Ana’s ability to be more independent does help, however the trend of falling to the whims of a man is definitely over played.

Lastly, to clarify, gimmicks are great when executed correctly. It requires a good deal of thought, even for the ones that felt suddenly created. Pacing, environment, being believable, and shot correctly by the camera are important for cinema gimmicks. Fifty Shades does not do well following these trends and in all honesty we can learn a lot about proper filming techniques from this movie. Overall I give it one strap-on out of... well actually lets just end it here. Anyways, I wonder where Angela ran off to.

I don’t know man. Wanna watch Secretary?

Sure thing. *Goes to the fridge and pulls out a glass bottle of Coke* Here you go buddy.

I love yeah man. Cheers!