Casino Royale Thoughts

January 18th, 2010

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(More thoughts on non-game related subjects, I know. Basically, I’m ploughing through other media (comics, manga, anime, movies) before I head overseas again, and hey, Okami has been sucking me dry for time. Expect more of this gear for the next few days. )

Ages ago I was given Casino Royale on Blu-ray as a Birthday present to use with the PS3. Considering I’d seen the movie with friends at the cinemas I didn’t feel the need to re-watch the movie in such a hurry, but the other day I decided to give my favourite Bond film a second viewing. Here are some of my observations:

Watching Casino Royale retroactively filled in the numerous mental blanks underpinning my confused reaction to Quantum of Solace. There was a two year gap between the movies, yet their themes (the friction between the mission and the love interest: Vesper) are very tightly bound. Furthermore, Quantum of Solace is a direct sequel, as in Bond literally begins from where he left off in Casino Royale, so confusion was sure to ensue. The movies are best watched in succession. With that considered, I’m not interested in watching Quantum of Solace again. You saw the movie, you know why, but fundamentally, Vesper was too smarmy and not worth watching Bond weep over.

Actually, let’s talk about Vesper. She’s both good looking AND intelligent which were points that previous Bond girls were keen to labour over in the extra features. Fair enough, when contrasted against the Bond Girls of the past, she’s peaking the recent trend into more capable female side kicks. I still didn’t like her though. Three reasons:

1) She’s indeed smart—and that’s a good thing—but the script is keen to make a point of it as though her intelligence is unusual or worthy of attention. On debut, the writers attempt to give her intellectual capital over Bond through their childish squabbling match, but it instead has the opposite effects, making the two protagonists seem like self-important aristocrats. Pricks.

2) She seems uncomfortable in her role, I don’t know if this is intentional (because she’s an accountant? Maybe) or just the actor (Eva Green) not suiting the part. Eva’s face always wears a sullen smile, as though she wants to be elsewhere, preferably not with Bond.

3) I don’t think that she suits the typical mold of a Bond girl either. It’s just her breasts and the desperate attempts the costume designers take to fit her in clothes which make them more apparent. It appears as though they’re trying to fit her into a strong female archetype (the business one) which doesn’t suit her, and therefore a sense of attractive which is incongruous with her natural look (which is supposedly French Gothic).

M, on the other hand, holds a stern presence over Bond, she is a strong female character not because she retorts Bond’s slick quips, but because she silences them. Vesper, plays Bond’s mind games because she thinks she can win, M grounds Bond in the reality where his games are nothing but trivial. Judy Dench is probably at her best in this installment, I’d wager. Overall though, I dig Solange Dimitrios, the ost, she’s so sensual and a bit of a throwback to the Roger Moore era. (I can’t justify that last point, I just have a feeling).

In general, the production is far superior to prior Bond movies. Grounding itself more firmly in reality and losing the fantastical elements which made Die Another Day so nauseating, Casino Royale has given the series a new lease on life. Shedding the shallow gender stereotypes and corny jokes also helped to make Bond more socially relevant in a more responsible world.

However, despite these comforting amenities, Casino Royale stands out for its brilliant action sequences. As an action movie buff, I evaluate set piece action sequences on two key qualities: 1) Originality 2) Realism. I chose these two points because I enjoy action sequences which mirror the themes, issues and vibe of the narrative and don’t rely on special effects. A great deal of action movies are loaded with trashy, senseless violence that contribute to the movie’s story or characterisation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPmJ73XRlUs

The parkour sequence is a great example of inspired action. Free-running is modern and very stylistic, yet it’d never been incorporated into a mainstream production before, particularly of this scale. Bond isn’t just running through streets and on roof tops though, the construction site setting further puts a twist on the already unique free running concept. The visceral, improvisation-heavy action sets a striking impression of the new James Bond.  The realism is also very much in check as everything which happens on screen was acted out. Sends chills down your spine just thinking about it, eh?

I think that summarises most of my thoughts, I’d just like to add a handful of ideas which I couldn’t fit in above:

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“Become Genuinely Interested In Other People”

January 14th, 2010

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If I were to run my own bookstore, I’d probably re-title the ‘Self-Help’ section to ‘Common Sense for Foolish People’. Generally speaking, there are three flavours of self-help books: weight loss, depression and success/motivation. The answers to each dilemma is very simple, but often made complicated by the people dealing with the problem:

Need to lose weight? Eat lean, exercise more. Feeling depressed? Make friends, adopt a positive attitude. Want success? Find a goal and work hard.

As you can tell, I’m pigeon-holing the entire genre, and I apologise for doing so, however, the primary ideas behind self-help books can be rendered moot in the face of common sense. Well, that’s my belief. Self-help books primarily serve the purpose of reminding us to be sensible when we’re likely to over-evaluate an issue. In anycase, to remedy my ignorance towards the new age crowd, let me talk about a self-help book that I’ve been reading: How to Win Friends and Influence People.

My brother, who does engineering, suggested that I read this. He originally began reading How to Win Friends and Influence People because good communication is a key requisite of team engineering, of which constitutes most of the field. He didn’t suggest that I read it because I lack people skills…but because it’s such a good book! A classic in fact. Yes, it’s all common sense, but damn, we sure do lose sight of common sense easily.

Allow me to demonstrate with one of the principles which transcends the very subject matter (yes, this does have something to do with video games, bear with me): “Become Genuinely Interested In Other People”.

Human nature states that 90% of the time we’re thinking about ourself, right? Putting ourself first is essential to our survival, pretty much. What Dale Carnegie (author) asserts is that by being genuinely interested in other people, we’re appeasing their interests and therefore can’t help but be liked ourselves. Think about it in practicality, who wouldn’t be friendly to someone who expressed a genuine interest in themselves? In a sense, people who put other’s interest ahead of their own are playing people for what they want, and winning. That’s a very selfish way to talk about a very no selfish act, I suppose.

This notion of serving the customer can not just lead to good interpersonal relations but also to success in other areas. Allow me to elaborate with two examples:

Mac

I’ve had my Macbook for about one month and it’s easy to see why Apple has such a strong fan base. Mac computers are designed for being used by normal human beings (yes, normal human beings), the user is central to the design and not the company. This is why Mac hardware and software is aesthetically very pleasing, why they don’t receive viruses, why the AC lead is magnetic, why the trackpad is almost as good as using a mouse: these are all features that make the experience simpler and more pleasant for the user. It’s because Macs pander their users that Apple fans get so aggro over issues like DRM, where Apple is (was?) clearly violating its users.

Windows, on the other hand, has the stigma of being unfriendly and very corporate/power user-centric. Consider the types of responses you hear from Windows users when discussing operating systems. They all say the same thing, they hate Windows/the computer but have no choice but to stick with it. Furthermore, Windows and Windows software (Office, for example) is also heavily pirated, because it’s perceived as not offering value. (Aside: Why would you buy MS Office when you can get Open Office for free).

Although Macs only hold a small market share (for obvious reasons being that Macs are overpriced and lack compatibility), the market share is strong and dedicated and less likely to convert to Windows or Linux. If Microsoft continues to neglect regular users and Apple continues to treat its users well, it seems likely that the market share for Mac computers will slowly increase.

Nintendo

Nintendo have always been successful at developing video games, particularly over the past few years, as usability is of prime importance to their design philosophies. Take a game such as Wii Fit, Wii Fit is actively interested in the player’s development and reinforces the player’s growth through the trainers which give personal, positive advice and praise which is sincere and unflattering.

Nintendo also design their games so that rather than forcing players through a mandatory, you’re-a-newbie tutorial, the environment embodies the tutorial and teaches players organically as they progress. In effect, it empowers the player and masks inability. Super Mario Bros. for instance, does not sit the player down and tell them in writing how to play, the logic of the entire game world is conveyed in the first few seconds of play as the goomba walks towards the player. If the player jumps over or on top of the goomba, they continue playing, that’s the tutorial: jump to avoid obstacles. Metroid achieved the same effect; walk left instead of right: exploration. Super Metroid iterates on this again by presenting players with an initial roadblock in which the only way players can progress is by bombing an unsuspecting part of the landscape. The message? Check everywhere, without fail. Super Metroid is unwavering in its commitment to this principle and magnificently iterates on the concept while placing itself on step ahead of the player, which is why Super Metroid is one of the most acclaimed video games ever made, it respects that the player and believes that they are capable of overcoming the challenge.

I’m sure that you can think of many counter examples, but here’s one in case you’re unsure. Yesterday I booted up my brother’s PC and started playing Runman: Race Around the World, the acclaimed indie title which is free and worth downloading (do it!). Runman’s an excellent game for fans of speed running platformers, however it’s tutorial components could be streamlined even further. Instead of having a sign telling the player to press ‘X’ to wall jump when standing in front of several adjacent walls, all they need is a picture of an ‘X’, the players can fill in the rest.

Nintendo games treat players with respect and sincerity which makes them approachable and enjoyed by many. It’s the reason why they’re been on top of the business for almost 30 years.

Conclusion

As we can see, Dale Carnegie’s principle of becoming genuinely interested in other people is effective not just in relationships, but in a corporate and design setting also. Companies that are aware of their user base and appease their user base through product and promotion (Capcom’s recent effort with Dark Void is a great example) will always be successful ones. Looks like common sense, and self-help books for that matter, prevail in the end, maybe I’m not such a hater.

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A Quick Dissection of Hellsing (Original Series)

January 13th, 2010

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A lot of anime fans love Hellsing and at one stage so did I, then I saw past the pretension and became a hater. Don’t get me wrong, Hellsing has all the trappings to be the poster-child of stylised animated violence (no easy feat in this industry, mind you), yet it severely underperforms on execution.

From reading the manga, there’s no doubt about the gratuitousness and stylisation of the violence. The anime, in which case, simply doesn’t fully capitalise on the source material. Personally I think the problems lie in two areas: Pretension alluding to awesome gunplay and fight scenes and a major lack of animation to evidence not just the character’s colourful dialogue, but the pretension in general. Hellsing falls victim to the same characteristic flaws of Dragon Ball Z with camera panning, wind blowing and banter exchanging taking up the bulk of the action sequences.

Most of Hellsing‘s confrontations begin with a few exchanges of bombastic dialogue (diluted from the manga, but sufficient enough to be deemed offensive) interwoven among brief scenes of gunplay. The action is far too brief and usually relies on transitions of stills or other commonly used cost-cutting techniques to reduce the number of cells in the production. The handful of frames used are often copied and pasted to reverberate the action. The style is all in the right place—character design and colouring is brilliant and captures the gothic atmosphere wonderfully, however, with little animation to back it up, Hellsing is all talk and little action. No wonder the animated series has gone back to the drawing board for a second, more authentic adaption of the manga.

Complaints aside, Hellsing is only an ‘epic fail’ under the shadow of what it could’ve been. The trappings are still there though and they’re pretty tasty. The ridiculous dialogue suits the malevolent design well and the character designs are very iconic despite the frames lacking to give life to them. The villains behind the set piece confrontations of each episode are also very memorable and distinct. They all have a great deal of variety and pertain the series’ visual flair stylistically. Even if they’re spouting of moronic lines about raping pigs or wetting your pants in trepidation, they still maintain an assuring level of awesomeness that keeps with the series’ ethos. So despite the frame-lacking fight scenes there’s enough there to satisfy a purchase—if I were here to sell you a copy.

Before I conclude, I just want to mention that the follow narrative points which run alongside the action are all very interesting:

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