Bonus Round: Favorite Video Game

With all these favorites I figured for fun I would explore another part of my nerdy self, and since video games have been a part of my life since childhood I felt it'd be nice to see if it followed my trends with all those other favorites. Continuing...

Video Game: Silent Hill 2


I don't think anyone would read this... and even if they do I doubt they'd care, but SPOILERS AHEAD.


Silent Hill 2 is a video game that follows all the trends my taste seems to gravitate towards. Abstract story that offers many subtle hints within it's own setting and characters to give one a deeper insight into the main character. It offers and exploration of all the darker parts of human nature, bringing forward a protagonist that was neither good nor honorable. Instead Silent Hill 2 provided us with a main character that finds himself to be a murderer, and whom only saw his wife as an object of sexual desire. With this game there was no character that was flawless and heroic, instead we see all the different aspects of humanity within it's cast. This is a radical change from most of the heroes we see within our favorite television shows and movies. While it did suffer from one of the biggest problems with video games of this era (HORRIBLE voice acting, to the point of comedy) it managed to overcome that with a strong story and an unforgettable atmosphere. It ushered in a new emphasis on video game story telling while so many other mediums of entertainment grew lazy. All it lacks is some sort of social commentary, but then again perhaps it does and it is just lost on me (It was initially created for a Japanese audience after all.) I felt it was important to mention, if not so I could just gush about it a little bit. There's a lot more but I'm up late and feel I should get some sleep before I miss my morning class.

I know this is very very nerdy but I felt that since video games where so significant in my life they'd deserve the same attention that I gave my film and music favorites, even if it is just for fun.

Man... I am really sleepy.

My Favorite Things

Movie: Fight Club

If difficult to say what draws me to this film, but I cannot think of any other movie that has had the same effect on me as Fight Club has. I enjoy this film for many reason, first of which is how much more can be pulled out of it upon a second, third, or seventh viewing. I also enjoy the dialogue and how smoothly conversation flows being both clever and believable. I heavily scrutinize speech in films and so I find that overall I very much enjoy this facet of Fight Club.


Music: Bright Eyes
I am a person that finds music to be one of my key pleasures in life. In this I also enjoy abstract lyricism. I find that bright eyes offers a more open and personal feel. The singer sounds exposed, as though he were bleeding out his most intimate secrets with a crowd listening in. It's this intimacy and closeness that I enjoy in music, or at the very least it's what I pull out of the music I listen to.

Also, a runner up would of been Neutral Milk Hotel.... or Taking Back Sunday oddly enough.

T.V. Show: Arrested Development

The man in the image above is GOB Bluth (Will Arnett), one of the key characters in what I'd label as my favorite show, Arrested Development. What I enjoy in this is, again, the ability to enjoy repeated viewings and still find more subtle jokes in every aspect of the show. From the dialogue ("Get rid of the seaward") to sight gags going on in the background it offered more then most shows. It also made light on many current events by featuring a house full of Sadam look-a-likes, usage of "mission accomplished" banners, references to the patriot act, and many many more. It even made light of itself when the show was going on it's way toward cancellation ("Should we go to the Home Buyers Organization?" "No, HBO doesn't want anything to do with us. I think it's showtime.")

Advertisement: Dalworth

This one was difficult, for I haven't watched television in quite some time. When I watch a television show I usually just download it direct to see if I'd like it so the one I conjured up is directly from my childhood. I say Dalworth for one reason and one reason alone. Everyone that I've ever known to see the commercial for Dalworth has remembered the phone number well into their adult life. The Dalworth jingle is something very admirable for it is the single most memorable jingle I've ever come across and I respect it for that. (Now I've never used the service of Dalworth but if I ever find myself needing my carpets cleaned I know who to call)

Call 2-6-7-8-4-3-3 because the next best thing to do, is dalworth clean!

(It has come to my attention that now their commercials lack the jingle, thus they are now horrible. )

Satire: The Onion.com


Now when I say the onion, I don't literally mean an onion, I just simply preferred to place an image of a real onion. THE onion is a satirical news website (that was mentioned in class) that offers fictional news stories that are often parodys of various aspects of modern culture. I very much enjoy this so much because while often the onion is an extreme parody of something very real the actors involved stay in character and take the stories as seriously as any other news station would. It also shows the obserdity our news programs and how much time is wasted on stories that many aren't concerned with.



Common Threads.



So... what does this all say about myself and what it is I enjoy? Perhaps it can be said that I should choose something that offers room for interpretation as my artifact? It certainly would make it seem simpler to anylize from several perspectives. Or perhaps I should choose something that offers a strong commentary on several aspect of our modern culture? It is on these things I must further meditate... and I also did not mean for that to sound as hokey as it ended up sounding.

For my inaugural post....

I will quote one of the most influential films from my childhood.

"Maybe I'm off my hinges, but I believe ya. That's why I'm gonna let ya go. I'm gonna give ya 'til the count of 3 to get ya lousy, lyin', low-down four-flushin' carcass out my door! 1... 2..."

[Tommy gun fires]

"3! Merry Christmas ya' filthy animal" [gunshot] "And a happy new year!"

Taken from "Angels With Filthy Souls" within the fine film "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" if you didn't happen to guess that from the image to the right.