Top 10 Personal FAV Video Games of All Time

In this special blog post I am putting out those games that entertained me, changed my life, and gave me endless amounts of joy. Here we go!

10. Starcraft

This game was my introduction to PC Real-time strategy at its finest. Since then I have become hooked on all sorts of RTS games ranging from Age of Empires II to (of course) Warcraft 3. Starcraft is a classic RTS that has such a legendary fanbase that it is now an official sport in South Korea! They have leagues and there are a few TV channels dedicated to Starcraft battles. Live for the SWARM!

9. Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber

This game is one of my personal favourites. I do not know how many hours I wasted playing this game, but they were well worth it! Imagine Fire Emblem, a medieval style game, now slap it into partial real time (your units are constantly moving, you only pause to watch specific units battle). The only downside I have heard from many people is that ‘all you do is strategize’, each and everyone of your characters act independently aside from you directing them towards a specific enemy: for example, attack the weakest unit. That however, never bothered me, although a single mission could take upwards to 3 hours to complete and if you lost a character you would either have to restart or play on and regret your decision. What a game! Drrrreeeeeeeeyfffffffuuuuussssssssssss, NNOOOOOOOOO!!!

8. Harvest Moon 64

My childhood. Never could one imagine that planting crops, raising chickens, and looking for love could be so much fun? I do not know what it is about this game but it had gamers hooked in the late 90s. Now that I look back it could be considered a predecessor of Farmville, but unlike Farmville, Harvest Moon 64 really adds passion to the experience. Not only are you working to be successful on your own farm, but you are socializing with the local towns people, attending events, going to the bar, going on a hot date; in essence this game plays almost like a second life. PLUS parents loved it! This was one of the few games out there that did not have violence AND kids were hooked. Lay some eggs you bloody lazy chicken! Gawd!

7. Resident Evil 4

This is the first game that moved away from the stuck camera angles that plagued its predecessors. Not saying the previous Resident Evil games were bad, they were terrifying, but when they let the camera go in Resident Evil 4 it was either going to flop or become a great success! Fortunately for the gaming community Capcom took the risk and man did it pay off. Now enemies could come from any angle! You really had to stay on your toes. What else was great about this game was you never knew what was gonna come next! One second you are fighting for you life against a horde of zombies, next you are running for your life from a enormous boulder, next you are trying to avoid traps while a zombie is throwing TNT at you! On top of all of this the addition of instant death kept your focus on the game, just like in life, if you let you attention wane for even a moment you could die. Just. like. that. A challenging and highly entertaining game, watch out for that chainsaw!

6. Super Mario Galaxy 2

Let’s a go! Mario games are in excess on all Nintendo platforms, so why did I pick this one? Simple, overall the most entertaining Mario adventure ever, hands down. It is hard to put my finger on why, but I think it is from years of Nintendo creating and refining game after game of Mario’s adventures. The space element, although simplistic, is really a throw back to the side scrolling days. Except in this case its 3D, but yet it feels like a platformer. Really the best way to describe the amazingness that is Super Mario is in the simple factor of its game play. The Princess gets captured by Bowser, you need to collect many stars if you want to see her again, commence the adventure! Not to say that both the level design and amount of replayability is lacking, because it is not, it is just the concept. Easy to follow, fun to play, and more than once did Mario put a big smile on my face! “Yoshi!”

5. Metroid Prime: Trilogy

I absolutely love Samus Aran, the main protagonist in the Metroid series. She is bad ass, she is independent, and she is a bounty hunter. What is not to love about her? She takes on a galaxy of evil space pirates in their mad quest to reign supreme in the galaxy and she makes it look easy. The sub-enemy is the one mentioned in the title: the Metroids. These creatures have the ability to suck the life essence out of their victim, although it is unknown how they do it. This game really made first persons shooters not only enjoyable on the Wii but also playable, I had a blast dodging, jumping, flipping, and firing a volley of energy bolts to destroy my opponents. Samus has the ability to scan enemies to determine their weakness, this adds a real element of strategy and some face-paced trial and error combat. I could talk for pages about Samus Aran, so I am going to leave it at this, this is really bad ass by the way,

Planet Zebes… I called this place home once, in peaceful times, long before evil haunted the caverns below. Now I shall finally tell the tale of my first battle here… My so-called Zero Mission. – Samus Aran

Just...awesome.

4. Mass Effect 1 & 2

With Mass Effect 3 fast approaching I am super excited, since I had to add BOTH 1 & 2 to add to my 4th place slot. This game might ass well be the video game version of Star Wars. Epic universe, epic characters, great battle sequences, and memorable moments. This is Sci-Fi Fantasy Adventure at its best. Bioware has been making epic RPG games over the years, but by far this is their best entry. All you really need to know is that you face a threat that the galaxy has never faced before and you have the option to be either a legendary hero who defies those who seek the galaxies destruction OR  a bad ass renegade who does things your way, whatever the cost. *SPOILER ALERT* In the second game you die in the introduction! What is cooler than that! The climax to the 2nd game is crazy, you and your team go on a suicide mission and for those who do not invest enough time and effort in the game, may actually die! Also, depending on the decision you make your teammates could die during the fight as well. *END OF SPOILER* Wonderful RPG, keep ‘em coming Bioware!

I’m Commander Shepard and this is my favorite store on the Citadel!

3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Zelda series games will always hold a dear place in my heart, but the one that started the love was Ocarina of Time. With the release of the 3DS version I kinda wanna buy a 3DS for old times sake. This game is that powerful, there is just something amazing about coming of age adventure games. Some of the game you play as young Link while the rest you play as adult Link. That is cool in itself.  From the quests to the mini games, to the new items and varying temples, this game has no shortage on fun and challenging elements. Let us not forget all the little collectables that expand the playability factor of the game. This game is a classic game of fun and adventure which deserves a warm place in all of our hearts, despite Navi and her annoying prattling. “LISTEN!”

2. Skies of Arcadia: Legends

Not many people have heard of this game, but it was a game that started a friendship for me. One that continues to this very day. This game is great because its about pirates, pirates who who sail it ships, wait for it…in the sky! With its Final Fantasy like game play you battle and level like any other epic adventure game. Not only that but you have ship battles as well! These are just as fun and give you pause when you are not prepared for a ship to ship battle. Not all fights are about wining, sometimes you have to make a ‘tactical retreat’. The engrossing story of a young pirate named Vyse who runs into a strange girl named Fina envelops the player in an large world of plunder and battle! As well you can customize the element of the weapon you use. Eventually you have to accompany her and your many pirate companions to look for glory and a selection of different moon crystals, yay! Overall the game play, characters, world, and customizability set this game out from other epic fantasy adventure games.

‘Women are like sunsets…They’re beautiful, but there will be a different one tomorrow.’ that’s my motto. – Gilder

1. Tales of Symphonia

This game holds a very close spot in my heart, I spent a whole summer with my friends playing this epic game and I honestly think that it changed not only my life but my way of thinking. Like Skies of Arcadia this is an all engrossing adventure game set in a fantasy world, although instead of pirates its a collection of crazy characters. Why is it better than Skies you ask? One simple answer, multi-player RPG. Like I said before, I spend the entire summer playing this game with my friends and we had a blast. In some of the game there is voice acting but not all of it, the parts that did not include voice acting my friends and I all took over different roles. It added a unique experience to the game and made it that much more fun. The combat is real time and with four people on the screen it is chaotic and very entertaining. I can NOT even imagine playing with computer controlled comrades after playing with my buddies for so long, battles were hard enough with them! The story is not only legendary but just when *SPOILER ALERT* you think that the game is over, there are no quests left in the world, your party discovers an entire new WORLD! That’s right their is a parallel world in which you visit with your comrades and meet even more people, this is only 30 hours into the game! The game took us about 80-90 hours tom complete. *END OF SPOILER* With a great cast of goofy, serious, and fun characters, a legendary story, and the ability to play with 3 of yours friends, this is a MUST to play. Highly recommended!

I am the mage, protect me! – Matthew Tyne

Rio (04.2011)

A rawktacular film with some squawking beats!

When I went to this movie I felt like the oldest person there! (not counting adults escorting their kids, they don’t count, same gene pool) Despite its childlike qualities Rio is a film that possesses a heart warming story, a comical cast, and a great soundtrack. Since it is a film for kids I will let it go that ‘everything works out for the best and everyone is happy’. However, there is an obscene amount of poverty represented in Rio and the unnatural, but probably realistic depiction of how much Spanish people love soccer. But that is far from important, the adventure of a few good birds is what really matters.

We mostly follow the geeky ‘last of his kind’ Blu and his love interest Jewel who is the ‘last of her kind’ counterpart. The new trend Hollywood is tending to follow is “the geeky guy gets the girl”. This normally includes the guy being shy, incompetent, and often useless aside from those few moments, when his geekiness shines through and saves the day. The girl on the other hand is independent, courageous, and competent. Despite this obvious role reversal we find classic Hollywood always shines through one way or another. Classical glances at female beauty are shown when Jewel is introduced and later when Blu’s owner Linda must dress up to sneak into Carnival. By far the most prominent example of male incompetence is the fact that Blu cannot fly and although it leads to many comical scenes, it is important to point out because it displays his lack that Jewel must compensate for. Why is that important you ask?

If only Blu could fly...

(SPOILER) Despite Jewel saving their butts more than once the moment she is unable to fly Blu SUDDENLY acquires the power to fly and saves them both. In the end Blu gets the girl and his owner Linda decides to live with Nigel (what could be more geeky than the name Nigel?) by staying in Rio and selling her bookstore back in the States. Happy ending right? The cost? The rejection of all of the positive attributes that women have in exchange for companionship, not saying that companionship is bad, but riding yourself of great qualities is a crime.

No more spoilers. Yay! Let’s talk more about the fun parts of the film. It takes place mostly in Rio during the exciting Carnival! These scenes are beautifully done and the colours of the floats, costumes, and landscape really make you want that summer weather ASAP. I can’t forget the songs that are put in here in there Disney style even though its a 20th Century Fox film. They were very very catchy, some you just wanted to stand up and dance to, and others were just plain funny. I think that those songs were the most entertaining parts of the film, I can safely say I was dancing it up in my chair! Haha!

Drop it, drop it, drop it low!

Definitely a fun watch and a very memorable soundtrack, I approve.

9 High Fives! out of 10

All the Right Moves (10.1983)

Time for my lighting review of Tom Cruise’s 1980s football flick.

‘All the right moves’ is never realized until its ridiculous conclusion.

This movie was painful to watch and if you want to save yourself the trouble of watching the first hour, just read the back cover. Predictable, not exciting, and it is laced with awful stereotypes of American society. At one point Tommy’s girlfriend in the movie played by Lea Thompson brings up an excellent point about football players getting all the good scholarships while girls in the band, like herself, had no hope of landing a music scholarship and escaping small town life. Her point was valid, but quickly disregarded by Cruise when he smashes his lips into hers.

Time to give it all away! Even though his team screws up the game, Tommy vandalizes the coaches’ house, no school wants him, and he becomes a loser in his own town, yet he STILL gets the scholarship at the end of the film! How? Somehow the ‘drill sergeant/coach/typewriter teacher’ gets it for him, realistically speaking he would be lucky to keep his job. Obviously this is Hollywood but come on! Really?! Oh lets not forget the sex scene which is reminiscent of when Tommy played beach volleyball in Top Gun (I know, it came after this film but I mean it in retrospect after the fact), which was what? Pointless but hilarious. What have I learned? Do whatever you want, you will get an awesome scholarship, keep your girlfriend, and leave your crappy town to do better things with your life. Thanks Tommy, thanks.

2 High Fives! out of 10

Vampire Wars: The Von Carstein Trilogy (2008)

Holy internets, new website layout! Holy vampires, a review about a book! This week is full of new stuff, check it!

This novel comes from the fantasy world of Warhammer. For those of you uncultured who have no idea what ‘warhammer’ is, their web post will explain briefly:

Warhammer Fantasy is a fantasy setting created by Games Workshop, in which many games of that company are set, the best known ones being the Warhammer Fantasy Battles wargame, and the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay role-playing game.

In other words, you buy miniatures, you paint them while building up your army , then use incredibly detailed rulebooks and make war with your friends. I played this a few years back and am now just getting back into it, slowly. Vampire Wars is based on this fantasy world revolving around 3 famous vampires: Vlad von Carstein, Konrad von Carstein, and Mannfred von Carstein. These vampires ‘inherited’ the province of Sylvania within the Empire (The human domain) and made war upon the Empire for hundreds of years. Essentially that is what this book follows.

Vampire Counts Skeleton Regiment

Ready for a spoiler!? They fail. HOWEVER, it is not the end that matters in these book it’s the journey. <–Corny? How these vampires come into power, how they exert their influence, and how the story alternates between their perspectives and that of the humans…or dwarfs is what makes this book interesting.  The book starts of very slow with an wide assortment of characters introduced, mini stories told, and the rise of Vlad. Despite its slow start, it comes off great in the middle and end portions. Some characters last a long time, some you might side with, while some surprise you and die off, while others come back unexpectedly and others are rarely mentioned again. This makes this book a colourful read and very exciting. On a few occasions I literally said out loud ‘no way, what. WHAT!?’. The only complaint about this book is the final 50 pages or so, it felt rather rushed and could have been fleshed out providing the reader with more detail. It just did not feel like the rest of the booked, slow paced and deliberate.

Each book does a great job explaining the personality of each Vampire Lord, the vanity of Vlad, the insanity of Konrad, the arrogance of Mannfred. Steven Saville describes each vampire lord and their little quirks precisely, enriching their distinct personalities. He also does an great job introducing other major and minor characters alike. He really leaves you guessing at who is gonna stick around, who you might not want to go, who you really want to go and who might just save the day. Trust me, whoever you pick you will be surprised. Each vampire lord has their own unique effect on the Old World and with each of their rise to power stories we learn about how absolute power corrupts absolutely.  I am on a roll, zing! Hahaha.

If you like Vampires, war, violence, revenge, betrayal, blood, and insanity then you are gonna love this book. Additionally if you are a fan of the Warhammer world this book is a must add to any geeks’ overly abundant ‘Black Library’.

9 High Fives! out of 10

Yikes. Might wanna fix that...

Flipped (10.2010)

With an intriguing way of telling a story and a classical plot of coming of age romance, this film ‘flipped’ me in all the right ways.

It is nice to see a movie re-telling a story from the viewpoint of two different characters. The characters the film follow are Bryce and Juli and we follow how they experience love for the first time…differently. It really adds flavour to the film and kept it exciting even after the introduction of both characters. This was done intelligently, showing only parts of the scene so we do not have to watch to whole scene over again.  Additionally, other scenes that the second character was not even aware of added background information and “oh no!” moments for us to enjoy. However, a few parts of the film become excessively long and the film does lose its initial momentum. Despite the lull mid-movie it ends with a bang and will put a smile on the face of anyone, even your cranky old grandpa/grandma.

Let us not forget the setting of the film and its origin from the book by Wendelin Van Draanen of the same name. Rob Reiner’s representation of coming of age romance during the 50′s is a good adaptation, it includes all the typical 50s themes: prejudice, clothing style, ‘proper’ behaviour, unacceptable social norms (illness, poverty, etc) and overall uniqueness of America after the Second World War. With the abundance of men returning home and starting lives with theirs wives there are many families created. That is really how this ‘girl next door’ story is so prevalent in a time of high-rate childbirth. It is a little unfortunate in the sense that not many people can relate to such a story, since we live in a time where that is not as prevalent, nevertheless it is an excellent representation of the 50s.

How cute!

Despite this the movie is able to draw anyone in with one universal theme, young love. At first it seems silly and awkward, but eventually it blooms when both parties are involved. Again another great thing about the film is how it depicts the opposite sex reacts to certain social situations and what may seem normal to one sex is highly inappropriate for the other. Audience members will nod in approval or perhaps slink further into the couch depending on their sex. This can ignite some awkward moments between you and your friends , but on the other hand you may learn something about them you did not know before!

Overall the themes in this film are universal and they include lots of awkward, cute, dramatic, heart-breaking, change in heart, and funny moments for all to behold. I like.

8 High Fives! out of 10

Dead Space 2 (01.2011)

One hell of a sequel! For those of you who have played the first game, you are in for a thrill ride in the second! If you have not played the first game, I recommend you do. However, if time is an issue Dead Space 2 comes with a summary video of the events of the 1st game.

Along with the movies, comics, and books, the Dead Space universe is expanding. The addition of Dead Space 2 continues with our lead engineer, Issac Clark. Arguably the luckiest/unluckiest Engineer in the galaxy. We situate ourselves 3 years after the conclusion of Dead Space (08.2008) in a space station called ‘Titan’. Titan orbits the planet Saturn and has become a highly developed industrial sector in the galaxy. Almost immediately Issac is thrown into the action with a simple tutorial, RUN! Straped in a straight jacket you must run through a gauntlet of necromorphs (essentially space zombies who are fast and have very big claws). After surviving (after a couple tries) the game slowly gives the player pieces of technology that improve your chance to survive, including the classic plasma cutter and engineer armour.

Good luck with that...

Like the original game a lot of classic weapons have come back, mostly improved and more useful. The Plasma Cutter is useful in any situation since the only way to kill a necromorph is to shoot the limbs off. (That’s right kids, no standard zombie head-shots in this game!) The Line Gun, which is kinda like a big version of the plasma cutter, has devastating effects groups of necromorphs. Improvements made on the Plasma Rifle were lovely with the added grenade launcher function, good for clearing pesky necromorphs. The Flamethrowers’ enhanced damage makes it feel worthwhile to use this time. Additionally almost every weapon has a special function once it is upgraded fully adding a nice variety to combat.

When it comes to story I feel that Dead Space 2 is a vast improvement on its predecessor. More information is available if you read the book/watch the movie which can add more depth to the game. Cross-media storytelling is my favourite storytelling method, it enriches the overall experience. Despite this the game story is wonderful without the background info of the book/film. Whether you trust the people you meet or not, almost all the characters Issac interacts with make an impression: from excellent action filled sequences, tense moments, to subtle but impressive voice acting adds dimensions to this horror shooter game. Just like in Dead Space: writing on the wall, audio logs, text logs, and wrist-tv communicators are the little things that are utilized brilliantly as the foundation of story elements in the world of Dead Space.

Space Zombies! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

As for game play, little has been improved on but as long as you are a fan of the Dead Space franchise this is easily overlooked. Shopping, upgrading, and saving all remain the same with few minor tweaks. What really stood out were the -on the rails- “Ironman” sequences, such as flying down towards the planet to catch up with your teammates. Sometimes these events happen unexpectedly, which is a nice ‘lifter-upper’ from killing necromorphs.

Sound is still used as a warning for upcoming action but not for individual sneak attacks. Hence, sound is balanced, used to amp you up when surrounded by necromorphs but at the same time it won’t give away a lone necromorph trying to take your head. Once again there is no sound in space, so no one can hear you scream, hehehe.

Overall this game feels like a template of the original with a few tweaks and a better story. However, I still recommended that you go out and play the first game if you have yet to, simply because it deepens your anxiety when you revisit the Ishimura later in the game. Overall though, great game and I recommended it!

8 High Fives! out of 10

Salt (06.2010)

Time for my lighting review of last years’ summer hit!

It looks like Matt Damon might have had a sex change…that or this is the Bourne Identity (2002) all over again with Angelina Jolie as its lead. Jokes aside, Salt is a predictable thriller with mundane twists. Despite Jolie’s good performance, the film lacked feasibility and was overly predictable. Overall if you have nothing to do on a Sunday night and wanna watch Angelina Jolie: shot, run, and have sex – enjoy.

6 High Fives! out of 10

Unknown (02.2011)

Liam Neeson stikes again with his latest European thriller. This action packed film gives us everything we love above Neeson, car chases, beat downs, and a thrilling adventure. As he enters Germany for a presentation with his wife Liz (January Jones), they head to the Alton Hotel, however, the misplacing of his passport leads to a bizarre chain of events. Central to these events is the crash of the taxi Neeson is in, which plunges into the Spree River. Neeson cracks his head hard and is rescued by the female taxi driver (Diane Kruger).

Ouch, that has got to hurt.

After awakening four days later Neeson is in a state of partial memory loss, recovering his life becomes a bigger ordeal than he planned. As he returns to the hotel he encounters his wife who claims that she has never seen him before.With German authorities questioning Neeson’s behaviour and a lack of passport they have trouble accepting his story. Neeson continues to turn to whomever can assist him not realizing that his paranoia may become reality.

Overall the film is an action packed thriller that keeps the audience wondering what Neeson will uncover next. The action plays out like The Borne Identity (2002) in that Neeson is trying to piece together who he his. And unlike Taken (2008) where he is fighting to save someone else, Neeson is the victim in a series of intriguing events. While forcing the audience to think about what may come next it keeps us on our toes with intense action and unexpected twists.

Although it was not as good as Taken, I recommend to any fans of Liam Neeson.

Awesome Liam Neeson quote of the film:

I didn’t forget everything. I remember how to kill you asshole!

8 High Fives! out of 10

Dragon Age: Origins (11.2009)

It has been ages since I played a good-old medieval fantasy game that sucked me in and made me want to play it for hours and hours. Dragon Age: Origins is the most memorable game since the Knights of the Old Republic games from the same company, Bioware. What makes this game so memorable you ask? Unlike most other games who fall short in one aspect or another, Dragon Age excels at its in-depth story telling, it has memorable characters, modern graphics, sound, game changing decision making, and a crisp combat system.

When you begin a new game your character is totally customizable, you can select from SIX different origin stories! Your gender and race effect how you identify with the world around you and how NPCs will respond to you. For example, in the game Elf’s have a negative stigmatiscm towards them so when you meet human soldiers they will often look down on you. Your sex also determines how romances will develop with your fellow adventures during the game, additionally, there are characters that swing both ways if you know what I mean. To me that is just awesome for Bioware to include something like that. (watching a male dwarf get it on with a tall male elf, wicked) Lastly your class/status in society effects how people address you, a noble vs. commoner.

You are thrown into a world known as Ferelden where a horde of evil humanoids called the Darkspawn are preparing to lead an invasion. As a new recruit to the Grey Wardens, an organization whos only goal is to eliminate the Darkspawn, you are pitted against this threat and depending on your origin story you have a different reason for joining the Wardens to fight the Darkspawn. This is but the tip of the iceberg as you embark on an adventure into a whole new world with many races, cultures, and viewpoints. The reason this is so exciting is because you need to learn everything there is to know about this world to understand why you are fighting the Darkspawn threat. Not every situation is black and white.

I'm sure he'll be fine...

Your decisions can affect your comrades and cause them to admire what you do or utterly despise it. Sometimes a decision you feel was right may not be interpreted that way by a companion who will expresses their own opinion about the situation.

The graphics in this game are incredible and the only drawback that is worth noting are some random graphical problems but that’s it! You can even move your camera around and zoom in on enemies as your battle them to see the detail put into their features. The sound design is also phenomenal during game play. The clang of swords parrying each other, the whiz of arrows flying past your character, and the wonderful voice acting of your companions brings this game to life. Nothing says that your situation is boring like a companion sighing at one of your remarks or how the action is getting intense as a companion screams a fierce battle cry.

As for the combat in the game, if you have played any other Bioware games it plays the same. You can pause the game at anytime to issue commands to your comrades or if you feel like playing a different perspective you can become one of your allies. If you prefer concentrating on one character, the tactics system allows you to tell you allies to use their techniques in specific situations allowing you to focus on your protagonist. This system is very easy to manage and makes the playability enjoyable but challenging if your not paying attention. The only thing that bothered me was the humongous inventory of your character, not just the fact that no one man/woman could carry that amount of weapons and armour but the fact that you have to sift through a lot of stuff. Provided this makes the experience extremely customizable, it really eats up your game play time looking for a potion or item to complete a quest. However, the codex pages found throughout the world give the player a real feeling of living in the world. They create an environment full of rich history, religion, and culture.

Overall this is one hell of a game and I recommend it to anyone with a love for RPGs and a lot of time on your hands. The story is engrossing and the characters are lovable while you may develop a hatred for your enemies. Dragon Age: Origins is a very rare game that does nearly everything just right.

9 High Fives! out of 10

The Family Stone (12.2005)

Ready to go back in time kiddos? {YEAH!} Ok then, here we go!

We are traveling back to the year 2005 because this weekend I was introduced to a film that is…not one of my favourites. The Family Stone tells the story of your classic ‘bringing the girlfriend home during Xmas to meet the family.’ The only two things I find awesome about this film is the over the top drama and the dominant theme of subcultures. (normally grossly overlooked in Hollywood film making) The big con for this film is simple: Predictable Predictable Predictable! Just gonna spoil something for all of you out there (that’s right I don’t care about your boo hooing), the movie sets up the main couple to break-up in the span of a few days just so that the INSANE amount of drama can ensue. Honestly, I mean really, I know families getting together for Xmas is stressful and there can be drama BUT not to the degree of  this film(to list a few): cheating, false proposal, cancer, racism, food fight, car accidents, utensil throwing, etc.

Cookies!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall I am going to give this film a passing grade because although they blatantly set it up to be predictable, the stupid amount of drama makes up for it in entertainment value. The only thing that urked me the most was the weak attempt to utilize sign language in the film. If you are going to add any foreign language for the actors in a film to use, make sure they at least put some effort into it. What surprised me was the representation of Jennifer Parkers’ character throughout the film. She represents everything that is upper class American: business woman, anal, organized, hair in a bun, wearing a suit, sleeping in separate bedroom from her boyfriend, and high heel wearing during winter. As the film moves on and her boyfriends’ family become more accepting of her: she lets her hair down, takes the suit off, puts some boots on, and bakes some cookies. Now why did this strike me as odd? The family that she was staying with was no where close to a “normal American family”. (rich, conservative, fashionable, and traditional) Hollywood rarely depicts families that are outside of this box, but the family had to be like that for the film to function properly.The only ‘normal’ moment of the film is where the pregnant woman’s husband arrives on Christmas day at night, by then all the drama had subdued and his arrival was more like a return a normalcy for the family (well as “normal” as that crazy awesome family can get).

Ok, so with that said it is a New Year and I feel like updating my blog posts. So I have decided to add a rating system and in the future I hope to work with my friend Brett to make these posts even more exciting, have a great 2011 everyone!

6  High Fives! out of  10 —> Worth the watch if you have the time, but I would not go out of my way to see it.