C Dub's Film Update: January 2010

I have been tracking and rating the movies I have been watching since the start of the year. Some old, some new. Here are the scores I would give them. I have seen many of them before, so I marked my first viewings of them with a (1st). The ratings are out of 5 stars.

3 - Curious Case of Benjamin Button (1st)        
[Too long, pointless scenes, tries too hard]

5 - Monsters, Inc.
[Entertaining all the way through. Acting carries the movie]

4.5 - Up!:
[Good, but I think the last 1/3 lacks the storytelling of the first 2/3]

4.5 - The Hangover 
[Good pacing and Humor. Hilarious. Must see]

4 - Sunshine (1st)
[Gripping sci-fi thriller with breathtaking effects and cinematography]

4.5 - Avatar (1st)
[More experience than movie. Predictable, but enjoyed every minute]

3.5 - Public Enemies (1st)
[A bit too long. 2.5 or 3 stars without Depp's performance]

4.5 - Princess & the Frog (1st)  
[I'd compare it to Aladdin. Classic Disney]

4.5 - Star Trek
[Great reboot to the series, no prior knowledge needed]

5 - Fight Club  
[One of my all time favorites]

4 - Requiem for a Dream (1st)  
[Enjoyed it. I was expecting weird, and it delivered on that]

4.5 - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (1st)
[Way funnier than I expected. Worth a watch]

4.5 - District 9  
[I actually enjoyed this more the second time]

4 - Princess Bride
[The writing and acting in this movie are classic]

4 - What About Bob?
[Made by the performances of Dreyfuss and Murray]

4 - O, Brother Where Art Thou?
[Enjoyable throughout. Good story, acting, & music]

Some movies that I will be checking out for some first time viewings in the next few weeks are Tekkonkinkreet, Taking of Pelham 123, Zodiac, Traffic, The Ten Commandments and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Atlas may have shrugged...

...but Prince and Co. push like mad. Granted, it hasn't been a huge blockbuster like CoD:MW2 or Assassins Creed 2, this slightly overdue review of Katamari Forever is much deserved as the game is equally addicting as those mentioned formerly.
This is the latest installment of the Katamari franchise and is one that, despite the fact it is mostly the same basic game as each of the other releases, this game has kept my interest highly. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, you play as Prince (or as one of his cousins) as you roll your katamari all over the world, picking up things smaller than you as you grow until you can eventually roll up everything. Naturally, Godzilla and other monsters also possible prey for your unstoppable katamari. The point is simple: make the biggest possible Katamari so the King of the Cosmos can remake the stars/planets he knocked out of the heavens accidentally. If that sounds like a children's story on acid, just wait til you play it.

Overview aside, if you've ever played a previous game, you'll probably recognize a lot of levels that have been repeated in this edition (underwater, classroom, etc). However, there are some new gameplay types (water the desert) and new levels (roll up the Roboking's Core) keep an otherwise repetitive game interesting for hours of (re)playability. Also, after completing the game a first time through, the game opens up a new game style that allows you to replay the whole game over again without feeling bored. I definitely played it multiple times through before even realizing what I had done.

If you're into "arcade-y" style games and have never rolled a Katamari before, check out the demo. If you've liked games in the past, consider picking up the latest and greatest. You will not regret it, as long as you allow some absolutely ridiculous cinematics and overall gameplay.