Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the Power of Side Content

Whenever we judge any kind of experience - a movie, for example - we judge its value off of the core experience of watching that film, but with video games, it’s not as easy to do so. While many certainly do judge a game purely off of what it offers in its core gameplay (i.e. the story in a narrative-driven game, a combat system in an RPG, etc.), the side content of a game is something that I feel deserves more attention and credit. And when side content is delivered in a way that is as well-executed as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s offerings, it’s hard not to stop and appreciate the smaller, side-experiences that help elevate a good game into a phenomenal one.

Why "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" Was the Best Animated Film of 2018

What makes Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse so special to me is that a begets its audience to rethink what animation is capable of. This film could have easily adopted a live-action counterpart, or used a more traditional CG art style - but it didn’t. Why was this? Why, in this instance, did Sony choose to take a riskier and more stylistic approach when a safer, more often-used presentation would have been easier (and likely more profitable)? The answer to that…is passion.

"Widows" and the Decay of Love | Movie Review

Widows - while certainly having some excellently realized commentary on modern western culture and the increasing spread of apathy - doesn’t manage to do much you haven’t seen before in a heist film […] It’s certainly flawed, but it’s clear that this film was a product of smart and lovingly-crafted writing and direction, which alone makes it worth a watch.

"Beautiful Boy" Review | An Intimate Screenshot of Family and Surviving Turmoil

Beautiful Boy creates a narrative experience that was intimate in a way that few other films are able to replicate. This film provides a refreshing and insightful look into the extent to which addiction affects family. More than anything, though, Beautiful Boy dares to show the lengths we’re willing to go to save those we care about, even when we know that it very well may be for nothing.

"Venom" Review | The Shackles of Corporate Mediocrity

With a screenplay that feels awkward and tonally confused, performances that either feel miscast or missing strong characterization, and a structure that feels both formulaic and dated, Venom is a corporate, mediocre mess. Given the plethora of comic-book-to-film adaptations we’ve seen this decade, there are many, many better ways to spend your time if you’re looking for an enjoyable comic book adaptation.

Octopath Traveler: The Effect of a Frustrating Shortage of Character Interaction

The separation of characters' stories and the frustrating limits of the characters' interactions with one another create a narrative experience that feels very fragmented. This fragmentation causes Octopath to feel like it hosts a party of characters that happen to be going on quests that take them in the same direction, rather than a party of characters that feel like they're going on a quest together.

"Sorry to Bother You" Review | Delightfully and Thoughtfully Weird

Very rarely do comedy films every leave a profound impact on me, and yet Sorry to Bother You has managed to do just that. Through its plethora of details, fast pace, excellent writing, and great performances around the board, it's clear to see that Sorry to Bother You was a passion project from beginning to end, and that energy radiates off the screen. It's a film that will make you laugh and also make you think about its themes of power, money, and success.

The Identity Crisis of "Fireworks" | Movie Review

Fireworks is convinced that it's an intelligent, admirable film because it looks and sounds like one on the surface. Beyond that brittle surface, however, is a film doesn't actually do anything to earn that status. Fireworks boasts two leads that feel radically underdeveloped, and yet it still expects you to care about their relationship, even though you have no idea what would make them compatible with each other, all leading into a third act that entirely rings hollow.

"Sicario: Day of the Soldado" Review

Boasting phenomenal writing and great acting, Day of the Soldado, like its 2015 predecessor, was a refreshing film to watch. It takes the action genre in a direction that we rarely see, and the apologetically realistic, gritty atmosphere of the film makes for an experience that feels unique in an ostensibly crowded genre.