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Monday, January 01, 2007
Geoff's Year in Review
I'm shamelessly copying M by also doing a review of my favourite media things this year - three best for each category, in no particular order. Of course, these have nothing to do with the year they actually came out, just that I watched/read/played them this year.
Movies
This year I've begun to believe more and more strongly that "games" can be a form of art. The examples of which games are art (Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Seiklus) are still coming few and far between, but they are there, and I believe there will be more and more in the years to come.
I'm shamelessly copying M by also doing a review of my favourite media things this year - three best for each category, in no particular order. Of course, these have nothing to do with the year they actually came out, just that I watched/read/played them this year.
Movies
- Yi Yi. It's quite long, but contains a fascinating interplay of stories. What is striking about it is how much the stories reflect on one another, as is often the case in very good literature. It's also (fairly) unique in that the stories are each about a different generation. There is the 8-year old boy, the teenage girl, the new married couple, the old married couple, and (to a lesser degree) an elderly lady. I can't think of any form of art that has really covered such a range with such ease. I'd love to see it again in a few years time.
- C.R.A.Z.Y. Another story about a family. It was interesting looking back in our list of movies we've gotten from zip this year; I lot of ones I'd forgotten, but in my memory, this one definately stood out. It's very much about growing up and one's relationships with parents, being accepted or not accepted at school or at home. It has a great blend of comedic and serious elements, and is very touching.
- Fred Leuchter. I mentioned this a few weeks ago; it's a great documentary, utterly fascinating. Definately the best documentary I've seen, and one of the best movies of any type.
- A Confederacy of Dunces. What an astonishingly bizarre book this is. The story is roughly about a mostly unemployed lazy pseudo-intellectual and the mayhem he causes in New Orleans. Besides being richly comedic, it is also a social commentary and parody of the world we live in. It's very, very funny and very, very strange.
- The Miracle of Castel di Sangro. This one is non-fiction, about an American who goes to Italy to follow a newly-promoted soccer team. The only real problem I had with this book was believing that all the things actually happened! (A quick internet search revealed that the incidents, if not the details themselves, were correct). It's quite funny, and quite enlightening to see the clashes of culture that occur - especially at the end.
- The Brothers Karamazov. And M thought her list was poncy! This was the first time (on my third or fourth try) that I got through the whole novel. I think having a different (and better) translation definately helped. It's impossible to describe Karamazov quickly. There are so many themes, so many ideas, so many incidents and characters, one can not help but feel overwhelmed. I think, however, the book's greatest achievement is in its portrayal of the three (or four) contrasting characters of the brothers. Each is fascinatingly tragic, in their own ways. The contrast between them, and their conversations, is one of the best things in all of literature.
This year I've begun to believe more and more strongly that "games" can be a form of art. The examples of which games are art (Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Seiklus) are still coming few and far between, but they are there, and I believe there will be more and more in the years to come.
- Final Fantasy XII. Probably the 2nd or 3rd best in the whole series (VI being first, VII a close tie). Great battle system, interesting story, lots of sidequests. Only downside is that the music is very, very ho-hum.
- Land of Legends. Why, oh why do more people not play this game? It is similar in style to Advance Wars: a turn-based strategy game on a flat grid. But it is brilliantly designed and balanced. There are eight (!) different races, each with four units, each vastly different, yet somehow the designer managed to make them balanced against one another. It reminds of the great balance of Starcraft - but, of course, that only had three races! Added to this, the interface is very easy to use and uncomplicated. I urge people to try this, if only so that I can play against someone else online :)
- Knytt. This year's Seiklus. It's brilliant because it stretches what we think of as a "game": it is not about challenge so much as exploration, and finding new and beautiful areas to look at.
