X-Men: Days of Future Pass?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m as eager as anyone to see Michael Fassbender reprise his role as Magneto, but I just don’t have it in me to be excited about FOX’s X-Men movies anymore.

[REVIEW] Fiasco, Pt. 1: Search & Setup

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be taking an in depth look at one of the latest and most exciting discoveries I’ve made on the gaming front. I’m admittedly late to the party on this one, but I still felt it warranted special mention. That, and I needed an excuse to share my own gaming story. Regardless of your experience level with games, you’ll find in Fiasco an accessible (and inexpensive) system that all but guarantees many evenings of fun for anyone with a couple of friends and anything approaching a human level of creativity. One disclaimer to start us off, however: this write-up is not a how-to-play guide. While I will be exploring most of the game’s mechanics at a high level, I will not be going out of my way to explain every detail. If you’re interested in the nitty-gritty, pick up a copy of the book or the pdf. I don’t think you’ll regret it.

[REVIEW] Transcending ‘Gravity’: The Metaphor Behind the Movie

**LIGHT SPOILER WARNING: If you haven’t seen Gravity yet, I highly suggest you do so before you read my or anyone else’s reactions. (And if ever a film has been made that merits the IMAX 3D format, this is it. If you have access to a true IMAX theatre, the extra few dollars are more than worth it.) With a very simple and clear-cut surface narrative, Gravity is probably best viewed with as little preconception and foreknowledge as possible. I’ll try to shy away from story specifics with vagueness where feasible, but it would be nearly impossible to circumvent even the implication of certain outcomes. See the movie first—I repeat, see this movie—then see if you can resist jumping into the conversation about it.**

[REVIEW] Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I want to like Agents of SHIELD. Even as someone who rarely watches TV, the thought of enjoying a piece of Marvel’s cinematic universe on the small screen every week is appealing. I’ve watched the first three episodes of the show now, though, and it has not failed to disappoint. With such well-realized and solidly entertaining source material in the Marvel Studios films, why does SHIELD fall so flat for me?

Expectations

If my first post here wasn’t indication enough, I tend to be overly serious. Some might even say I verge on somber. Such is the curse of the reflective introvert: through joy and despair, fun and chore, all must be analyzed and deconstructed. However, I’m hoping this blog will allow me to loosen my collar and slip into something a little less…gloomy. If my normal demeanor is a severe, black, three-piece business suit, perhaps my online presence can be more severe, black business casual (with sweater vest and sleeves rolled up, no doubt). Don’t get me wrong; I certainly reserve the freedom to indulge in heavy personal or philosophical meandering whenever the mood strikes, but I’d like to mitigate the melancholy by also writing about subjects toward which I feel an emotion akin to what normal human beings might identify as “excitement.”