Stole it from

~ Pick 20 of your favorite movies.
~ Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
~ Post them here for everyone to guess.
~ Fill in the film title once it's guessed.
~ NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions, you guessers...

1. You've managed to kill everyone else but like a poor marksman, you keep missing the target.

2. My Mom always told me there were no monsters. No REAL ones. But there are.

3. We’re actors! We’re the opposite of people!

4. Oh, hey. We're rehearsing a - a scene for the upcoming company play called uh, Put That Thing Back Where It Came From Or So Help Me. It's a musical.

5. Fuck off, pigs. Did you hear what I said? Fuck. Off.

6. Put Edwina Backinbowl. Backinbowl.

7. I'm sorry, did I break your concentration?

8. Either he's dead or my watch has stopped.

9. It's so beautiful. It's hard to believe these spores could kill me.

10. I mustn’t be shot! - Me neither!

11. They keep creating new ways to celebrate mediocrity, but if someone is genuinely exceptional...

12. You smell funny.

13. John Wayne was a fag.

14. He covets. That is his nature. And how do we begin to covet, Clarice?

15. Don't everyone thank me at once.

16. Slugs! HE created slugs! They can't hear. They can't speak. They can't operate machinery. Are we not in the hands of a lunatic?

17. So, eleven hundred men went in the water; 316 men come out and the sharks took the rest, June the 29th, 1945. Anyway, we delivered the bomb.

18. But a herring doesn't whistle!

19. It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.

20. You're a brave man. Go and break through the lines. And remember, while you're out there risking your life and limb through shot and shell, we'll be in be in here thinking what a sucker you are.

Signing off...
GRT

Okay, so… journal time.

Does anybody read this thing? Well, never mind. I’m going to talk about some video games.

I have a soft spot for games with dragons. Especially games where you fly around on (or as) a dragon. I have played Drakan: The Ancients’ Gates all the way through probably… oh, five times? About that. I played through both Drakengard games long enough to get all the endings (and man, with that first one, the endings got pretty twisted). These are not the titles that come to mind when people think of the PS2’s finest games. But I played them, replayed them, and loved them.

Why? It’s gotta be the dragons.

So as a sucker for dragons, I thought I would really dig Lair. Then the reviews started coming in, and I was nervous. But I forged ahead – after all, I can forgive a lot when it comes to a dragon game.

Unfortunately, Lair dipped below even my generous threshold. This is the first dragon game I could not enjoy. Sad, sad, sad.

If you’ve heard of Lair’s shortcomings, you’ve probably heard about the motion-sensitive controls as a problem. This is true – but it’s only part of the story. It’s not so much that the controls were bad in and of themselves. Rather, the things you were asked to with those limited controls were utterly unreasonable.

This is the point at which I gave up on Lair. There was a mission where I’m supposed to be helping my forces attack the enemy city. Mind you, my leader is a proven murdering jerk, I can tell this whole war is the wrong thing to do, and my character is still going through with it. It’s one of those “You are a dupe” scenarios, and I never like those. Strike one.

So I’m asked to protect these floating “mantas” (i.e., sitting ducks) from enemy cannon fire. I have to go down and destroy the cannon generators. Fine. Perhaps the stupid mantas could wait outside of range while I handle this? No, of course not. They have to float slowly out and get blown to hell while I try to get my reluctant dragon to find the damned generators – not easy in the homogenous environment where everything blends together. To destroy the generators, I have to grab them and shake the controller like a spaz. All to save these idiotic mantas, which are the worst military tool in history. Strike two.

Then, at the SAME time, enemy dragons are attacking my mantas. Tons of the bastards. The enemy dragons usually appear as tiny, nigh-invisible specks that blend into the background. My dragon moves like a torpid slug from one place to the next, and I’m supposed to be protecting every manta in this giant (yet strangely undifferentiated) map. Naturally, the mantas cannot defend themselves. You can make your dragon dart forward to try to get to your dead-meat mantas before the enemy dragons annihilate them, but this move is very imprecise and unreliable, much like the dreaded 180 degree turn. Strike three.

On top of that… wait, aren’t we out of strikes? No, this is a dragon game, so I give it even more strikes to work with.

On top of that, I’m supposed to be bombing the city with barrels. The mantas are carrying the explosive barrels. This means that I have to engage in the laborious, awkward task of flying over the mantas, grabbing the barrels with my dragon, and dropping them on the city. The controls and zany camera do not help with this maneuver. Couldn’t we float these stupid mantas over the city and dump the barrels off the side instead? No, the mantas won’t do that. They’re pitiful. Strike four.

To compound the issue, my allies (such as they are) do nothing but flutter around and bitch at me every three seconds about these objectives. All of which I’m supposed to be doing at once. None of which my dragon wants to do. Strike five.

Plus you have to sit through the moronic THX animation every time the game starts up – a pointlessly rude design decision. Strike six. Plus my dragon doesn’t even have a name and I have no attachment to the story. Strike seven. Plus the game has crashed on me twice, the camera has a mind of its own (afflicted with schizophrenia), and the designers did not see fit to include the option of analog controls (which might have salvaged the game). Strikes eight, nine, and ten.

No more strikes. Not even for a dragon game.

So I traded it in and got Heavenly Sword. Which I utterly love. And I’m looking forward to Folklore, too. But no more Lair for me. Even this dragon junkie can only take so much abuse.

Signing off...
GRT

Got this one from .

Rules
1. Choose a few of your own characters. Five at the most.
2. Make them answer the following questions
3. Then tag three people.

Characters I've Chosen:
Sharon
Gail
Saxony

(All three are characters from my webcomic, Thunderstruck [link])

1) How Old Are You?
SHARON: Twenty.
GAIL: Nineteen.
SAXONY: Upstairs from 30, downstairs from 40.

2)Height?
SHARON: 1.6 meters.
GAIL: 5’3”.
SAXONY: Couple yards, give or take.

3)You Got Any Bad Habits??
SHARON: I’m told I can be a smart-ass. I have been known to run off at the mouth, I guess.
GAIL: Um… I seem to lack follow-through in my athletic pursuits.
SAXONY: Not a one, Attila the Hun. Unless you count lying, cheating, lawbreaking, smoking… little stuff like that.

4)You a virgin?
SHARON: It is a condition I intend to correct. My luck has been the pits.
GAIL: Yes.
SAXONY: If that’s what lights your lamp, then I’ll play along.

5)Who's your Mate/Spouse?
SHARON: I went out on a date when I was fifteen, but I was shot. Then I had a boyfriend in New Orleans named Devin, but he tried to kill me. And then he was impaled by a Dwarf. Did I mention my luck has been the pits?
GAIL: Nobody right now. I’ve had a few boyfriends, but nothing serious.
SAXONY: A sizzling fox named Hayaka.

6)Have Any Kids?
SHARON: Did you perhaps see the previous answers? I think we can safely say I have not. Oh, fine, I suppose I’ll address the loopholes: I have never experienced an immaculate conception, nor gotten friendly with a turkey baster at a sperm bank.
GAIL: Geez, sis. What part of a simple “no” is so hard for you to say?
SAXONY: No rugrats for this cat.

7)Favourite Food?
SHARON: Crispy duck.
GAIL: Yellowtail sushi.
SAXONY: Why only one food, Jude? I live in the Big Easy. It’s all good.

8)Favourite Ice Cream flavour?
SHARON: Anything involving cookie dough or peanut butter cups.
GAIL: Mint gelado.
SAXONY: Give me thick creamy vanilla so fresh that you can hear it moo, mixed with chocolate so sinfully dark and smooth that even looking at lands you 15 years in Purgatory.

9)Killed anyone?
SHARON: No.
GAIL: No… but I wonder how long that will last.
SAXONY: Let’s just say that a few slabs are occupied on my account.

10)Hate anyone?
SHARON: Fundies.
GAIL: I try not to. There are plenty of people who piss me off, though.
SAXONY: That’s a list with a lot of names, James. There’s an outfit named Perivigilum that grinds my gears. And there is a certain itchy witch named Bella… if there’s ever a party to roast marshmallows over her burning body, consider me an RSVP.

11)Any Secrets?
SHARON: I can consume electricity and supercharge my metabolism.
GAIL: My grandfather is a god or something… perhaps the devil. I don’t believe that he is, but I have to allow for the possibility.
SAXONY: Damn, Sam! I am made of secrets!

12)Love Anyone?
SHARON: My sister, my family. With the exception of my grandmother, who tried to execute me.
GAIL: My sister and my family. Jesus.
SAXONY: Hayaka and me are tight. I have lots of love for lots of folks in the Big Easy… but not a whole lot of trust to spread around.

13)TACOS?
SHARON: With sour cream, guacamole… the works!
GAIL: Soft shell, please.
SAXONY: Lay that south of the border treat in front of me, and it'll vanish in a blink.

14)Ever slept in All day?
SHARON: Apart from the time I was in a coma when I was fifteen? Yeah, I’ve pulled some all-nighters.
GAIL: I’m a habitual early riser. I can’t seem to stop even when I want to. I’ve spent a few days in zombie-like state because of it, though…
SAXONY: I do some of my best work when the sun cops a nod.

15)Favorite Show?
SHARON: Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
GAIL: Kung Fu. Okay, that’s a very cheesy answer. I like Ruroni Kenshin.
SAXONY: The Twilight Zone. If you can dig, that was the world’s first Reality TV.

16)Favourite Movie?
SHARON: Brazil.
GAIL: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
SAXONY: I’m a sucker for anything with Bogart and Bacall.

17)Favourite Band?
SHARON: The Offspring.
GAIL: Yoko Kanno.
SAXONY: John Coltrane.

18)Eye Colors?
SHARON: Green.
GAIL: Green.
SAXONY: A light shade of blue, as innocent as a cloudless sky. So trustworthy.

19)Skin?
SHARON: Pale, but in good condition. Very good since I… you know, started absorbing electricity. >sigh<
GAIL: Lots of freckles.
SAXONY: I have a fine suit of the stuff. I do my best to keep it intact.

20)Fat/Average/Slim?
SHARON: Average, I think. Wait, given the obesity rate in this country, what is average these days? Perhaps I should say “slim.”
GAIL: Athletic.
SAXONY: Slim and snappy.

21)Rain, sunshine?
SHARON: Give me a rockin’ good thunderstorm.
GAIL: Sunshine.
SAXONY: Cloud and shadow. Makes my work easier.

22)Pool, Beach?
SHARON: Beach. Always.
GAIL: I was a competitive swimmer, so I like the pool… but the ocean is better.
SAXONY: The cool smooth groove of the mighty Mississippi.

23)Camping, staying home?
SHARON: I’m cool either way.
GAIL: The closer to nature, the better.
SAXONY: I’m a city boy. Camping is for swamp rats.

24)Dog, Cat?
SHARON: If I had to choose, a cat.
GAIL: I suppose I lean more towards dogs, but I like both.
SAXONY: Dogs are suckers. Cats know the score.

25)Believe in aliens?
SHARON: I am quite confident there is extraterrestrial life. I am equally confident that it does not sneak down to Earth to mutilate cows, deface crops, and stick probes up people’s butts.
GAIL: I’m starting to believe in lots of things.
SAXONY: I can glide with that, Nat. Question is, do you know where they really come from?

26)Natural Born, or Clone?
SHARON: Natural, but of somewhat dubious lineage.
GAIL: Natural.
SAXONY: There was no vat for this cat.

27)Car or Ship..?
SHARON: Car, as in Miata. Wait, by “ship” do you included “starship” as a possibility? Because if so, I would definitely…
GAIL: >snort< You and your starship fantasies.
SAXONY: Whatever floats your boat.

28)Ever destroyed something out of Blind Rage?
SHARON: Sort of. A street.
GAIL: I’m trying to keep the blind rage thing under control.
SAXONY: When I cut down a square, my eyes are wide open, and my ticker is pumping ice.

29)Any Unusual Things about you?
SHARON: I think we’ve covered the thing about the lightning and the strange grandfather. I’m unusually intelligent. What? I’m not bragging, I am!
GAIL: I’m physically stronger and faster than normal human limitations would allow.
SAXONY: Oh no, Joe. I’m so dead-center, you could hang a string on me and make a Bell Curve chime.

30)How much food/drink do you need a day?
SHARON: Roughly the average amount.
GAIL: I don’t need much. I seem to have an efficient metabolism.
SAXONY: That question is strictly nowheresville.

31)Favourite Place?
SHARON: A Northern California beach, early in the morning, with nobody but the pelicans and dolphins there to bother me.
GAIL: I could go for that, too.
SAXONY: My city. The Big Easy has her warts, but she’s a live wire.


I’m skipping the tagging part.

Sharon Curmen and Gail Curmen are sisters. Saxony Canterbury is an occultist and detective in New Orleans, and he lies in some of his answers.

Signing off...
GRT

They won't listen to me, of course -- I mean, who the hell am I? But I'm gonna suggest it anyway.

I'm not even what you'd call a regular reader of Marvel comics. Used to be in my younger years, but not so much in the past decade. Still, I have an old fondness for the world created by Lee, Ditko, and Kirby (which owes a lot to sorts like Claremont, Simonson, and Miller). So of course I've noticed this latest mega-crossover event, the so-called "Civil War," and its aftermath.

The word "pathetic" leaps to mind, accompanied also by "downright."

Many other writers have hashed over this territory, as to how disappointing it is to see Marvel taking established heroes and turning them inexplicably into fascist thugs for the sake of a brief spike in sales (yeah, it sold well... but do you think a dismal place like the post-Civil War Marvelverse is really going to hold onto readers. Doubt it). The utter disregard for continuity (and retconning so savage that it borders on sexual assault) has left many long-time Marvel fans grumbling.

Not to mention the latest Big Development. This was the great secret, revealed in one of the Avengers books, and I peeked at it just out of curiosity. If you haven't seen it (it's been over a month), then SPOILER WARNING. Okay?

So the secret can be summed up as: OMG! Skrullz!

Yeah, it's all a Skrull plot, or something like that. Anyway, we're supposed to believe this race of shape-changing aliens, who have up to this point demonstrated the collective intelligence of eggplants, are now suddenly manipulating everything to take over the world. And their shape-changing power must've gotten cranked up somewhere, because now everybody assumes they can duplicate powers, memories, skills, magical ability, technological genius, mental signatures... WOW! These guys are so awesome I could just puke!

Blech.

Anyway, even trying to check up on all this stuff is a huge headache, because Marvel has so many damned titles out. This is why Joss Whedon, who is a talent they should've held onto with both hands, has decided to leave Marvel after finishing his run on one of the X-titles. There are too many damned crossovers, too many mixed-up threads, too much crap going on for one writer to even script a story of their own without suddenly having to factor in whatever universe-changing crap the editors have generated this month (like the House of M business... don't even get me started).

My proposal is very simple, and it is this:

One Character = One Comic.

If Wolverine is going to be in the X-Men, then he shows up in the X-Men. He does not get 5 other titles as well, as well as membership of some Avengers team (Wolverine on the Avengers? Cut me a very small break here). There is ONE X-Men comic.

This way, one writer would actually get to develop the characters and the stories for those characters. Editors could coordinate any kind of wide-spread ramifications on those occasions where a story gets so big that it will effect other characters (New York attacked by an alien invasion or something), but for the most part, each author would be able to work without interference. Editors keep continuity in place. Writers make the stories.

Yeah, if you get a bad writer, you'll get a bad title. That'll always be true. But as it is now, a good writer hardly has a chance.

Anyway, they won't listen. But they damned well should.

Signing off...
GRT

So two games that I have played recently are Oblivion (Elder Scrolls IV) and Final Fantasy XII. Both are very high-quality games, representing the top of their class (the RPG) at this point in time. For me, looking at the two of them makes a very interesting comparison between an American RPG approach and a Japanese RPG approach.

It seems the defining aspect of the American RPG is freedom. In Oblivion, you can go anywhere, do anything, play any way you want. There is a main storyline, but you can choose to ignore it entirely after the opening hours of the game. There are a head-spinning number of sub-stories. You can enter any building, explore every inch of ground, pick flowers and fight monsters in the far corners of the world, and clean out dungeons and ruins from coast to coast.

You can be good or naughty. You can make your own magic items and spells, there are tons of different classes, and you can micro-adjust your character's face. In short, there are more options than any person could hope to explore without a vast inheritance and a Time Turner on their side.

Which is pretty awesome... for a while. But then, certain things start to become clear. For instance, though the world is populated with many folks and you can talk to them all, every line has a voice actor -- and with a reasonable budget, they could only afford about 8 or 10 actors. So everyone sounds the same. Everyone of a certain race and gender kind of looks the same, too -- the subtle differences in the face-generating software all sort of blend together after a while. Though you can enter every building in a given city, that means that there may be, like, a couple of dozen buildings total. Which in real life, would not be a city at all, nor even a town. And the dungeons all start to look the same.

There's a good reason for that, of course. It's called "budget," both for time and money. A good-sized medieval town might have, oh, 5,000 residents, let's say. Can you imagine how long it would take to program all those people and places and events?

Final Fantasy XII and Japanese RPGs have less freedom. They're focused more on creating the illusion of a world.

So in Final Fantasy XII, you wander through your city (Rabanastre, let's say... I may have spelled it wrong). The streets are packed with people... but you can only talk to a handful of them. There are buildings everywhere, but you can only enter the significant ones. You look over vistas into parts of the city you will never be able to enter.

It's a trade-off. You can't explore every nook and cranny of this city, but you get the feeling of being in a highly-populated metropolis. The illusion is presented with great artistry and skill.

You don't have as much freedom in the story. That, too, is a trade-off, as it gives the writers greater power to sculpt the narrative and tell the story they want to tell. When you look at your shelf and see what game you want to play, the question is: Do I want to write a story, or do I want to read one? Both approaches have their own allure.

I haven't finished the main storyline to Oblivion. I haven't completed every conceivable side-quest in FFXII, either (though I did do most). Both games have their problems. Oblivion has a leveling system that actually punishes you for focusing on your character's strengths. It drives me nuts. The "random treasure chest" feature in FFXII was created by a sadistic mind -- if I never have to see the words "Knot of Rust" together in that order again, it will be too soon. In spite of their flaws, both games are great RPGs.

But I think I like the majesty and scope that you can get out of the Japanese style better, for myself. In my mind, an effectively crafted illusion of variety is better than the reality of an open-ended world where all the options start to feel repetitive.

Plus, y'know... Viera are hot.

Signing off...
GRT