John HarperJohn Harper
I teach Aikido and love good TV. I also design and play roleplaying games
Atomic Might
Recent Activity
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What happens at the end of Kill Bill Vol 2?
I haven't seen it since the theater, so I can't do it justice. But I will say that the death-touch exploding heart technique does get used.
Posted 21 Apr 08
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Mindtrip, Altered Existence Movies
Speaking of altered states, I recommend Altered States. It's a movie about reality, addiction, and what it means to be human. Plus, it features sensory deprivation tanks, which fascinate me.
Posted 27 Feb 08
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All Blogger blogs have feeds, I just don't have a link.
Posted 30 Mar 08
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Man, that is so awesome.
Mine happened yesterday in the coffee shop. One girl was passionately explaining to the other, "But... it's not just, like, a sci-fi show exactly... it's so much more than that! And the writing is so good! And the characters! Oh... it's the best thing ever!!! I can't believe it got cancelled."
I stopped at their table. "Firefly?" I said. "YES!" said the one, and sat back in her chair with a sigh. I sighed. We looked wistfully off into space. The other girl: "Well, I guess I have to see that."
Win!
Posted 05 Mar 08
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Paprika - Crazy Dream Destruction Awesome Ultimate!
Yeah, I think Kon is very good at taking (sometimes squicky) anime tropes (the sexy doll thing especially) and treating them thoughtfully. He uses the medium so well. It's hard to imagine Paprika done any other way.
His Hitchcockian thriller Perfect Blue is also great. It has some uncomfortable moments, too, but they work.
Posted 07 Mar 08
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Fez: super cool new platformer
Check out this video for Fez, a new platformer coming to Xbox 360 arcade.
I spent most of the video laughing with joy the way I did when I first played Super Mario Galaxy.
It's things like this that show why indie game design is so important.
Posted 21 Feb 08
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I'm a big fan of the Burnout video games. This new one does a lot of things differently, but in a good way.
The wide open sandbox of the city is weird at first, since you feel aimless. But then you realize that's the point. You can just drive and do whatever comes along. If you lose a race, no problem. Just move along to the next thing. There's always another fun activity at the next intersection (or some secret to find or billboard to smash). It's really very satisfying.
My one criticism is that the new crash mode (which is super fun and can be started anywhere, anytime) doesn't serve much of a purpose in the game. You can set crash records for each street and then try to beat them, but otherwise your crash scores do nothing for you. They don't count as points on your license and they don't help unlock cars or anything, which is a real shame. Crash mode and Road Rage are my favorite things (though Stunt Runs are starting to be real good too) so I wish they gave a little more ooomph to the crashing achievements.
Still, a recommended buy, if you're a Burnout fan.
Posted 20 Feb 08
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Damn, that man can write.
I'm reading Blood Meridian now. It's amazing. His language is so strange and still familiar. And he does this amazing thing where the writing style slowly evolves as the book goes on, roughly in step with the progression of the protagonist. It's wild and beautiful.
Check it out:
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When their eyes lost their blindness they could make out figures crouched along the wall. Stirrings in beds of hay like nesting mice disturbed. A light snoring. Outside the rattle of a cart and the dull clop of hooves in the street and through the stones a dim clank of hammers from a smith's shop in another part of the dungeon. The kid looked about. Blackened bits of candlewick lay here and there in pools of dirty grease on the stone floor and strings of dried spittle hung from the walls. A few names scratched where the light could find them out. He squatted and rubbed his eyes. Someone in underwear crossed before him to a pail in the center of the room and stood and pissed. This man then turned and came his way. He was tall and wore his hair to his shoulders. He shuffled through the straw and stood looking down at him. You dont know me, do ye? he said.
The kid spat and squinted up at him. I know ye, he said. I'd know your hide in a tanyard.
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Posted 20 Feb 08
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Total Messages: 25
Topics Created: 4