Adventureland

From the director of Superbad comes the latest coming of age teen comedy Adventureland. Advertised as an “R” rated teen comedy much in the same way as Superbad, I think many that go to this film will be surprised to find it’s really more of a “Dramedy” that’s more in the vein of a movie like Say Anything.

Set in the Summer of 1987, Adventureland follows one James Brennan a recent college graduate who plans to spend his summer touring Europe. With his parents primarily paying for the trip, James’ world comes crashing down after his father is demoted and can no longer finance his long awaited journey. This leads to James getting a summer job at an “Adventureland” theme park where he’ll need to save money to pay for his expenses as a grad student at Columbia University the following fall.

The film for the most part derives from writer/director Greg Mottola’s experiences working at an Adventureland theme park in the 80s. We get a cynical look at the day-to-day experiences of bored employees operating fixed games and trying to face mobs of dimwitted customers everyday. Now though it really wasn’t as funny as I was hoping I really enjoyed the relatable situations that these characters faced. Their troubles with relationships and troubles at home I believe made for a more genuine experience.

The characters are likable and clever, my personal favorite being deadpan Apatow regular Martin Starr and Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig gave the film enjoyable moments of more conventional humor. Greg Mottola’s abilities as a writer don’t always shine in the humor department but he definitely understands how to develop good characters and overall realistic and witty dialogue.

The film’s music without a doubt stood out in my mind as memorable. Indie band Yo La Tengo did a spot on job providing the film’s score, but you can’t rule out all the other great artists that appeared on the film’s soundtrack such as; The Replacements, David Bowie, The Cure, The Rolling Stones and especially Lou Reed who as well is mentioned many times in the film. Lou’s song “Satellite of Love” is more or less the film’s recurring theme song.

Had I gone in with a different mindset I probably would of adjusted to the film faster but since I’d anticipated a silly comedy it took me a little longer. Fortunately by the end of the film I’d been won over. Good coming of age stories in my opinion never get old and this, as conventional as it may of been, still made for an entertaining teen “Dramadey.” Or however you want to spell that.

Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection

Yes it’s Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection the first video game I’ve bought in almost three years. Now despite the fact this is basically just a collection of classic genesis games, it ‘s a new experience to me and a real nostalgia trip for any sega fanatic.

It all started with Sean telling me about the collection during spring break. I was hesitant about having all these games on X-Box due to my dream of owning more genesis games on cartridge but after realizing that would never happen I gave it a shot. So that break Sean, Nancy and myself went to Crossroads and after Sean haggled down a copy of X-Files: Fight the Future for Nancy from 17 bucks to 5 at a Half Price Books, we walked down to Game Spot and I never looked back.

To review this collection I thought it would be nice for me to review my five favorite games, five “new” favorites (my favorites out of the ones I’d never played) and my five least favorite (I will not include the hidden games). After that I’ll point out what I like about the collection and what I think it’s lacking.

5 Favorite New Games

Alien Storm
: Alien Storm is more or less your typical beat em up side-scroller but something about it is just hilarious. You have the stupid characters; the token hot chick, some guy that looks like Elvis and some guy who looks like a Cylon from the old school Battlestar Galactica. They fight mutated people and objects like trash cans that turn into aliens and it goes at an incredibly fast pace. So it’s pretty fun despite it’s lack of ingenuity

Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja
: I’d always heard people saying this was one of Sega’s best and it is good but it can be hard to get into. It’s really one of those games you have to play over to over to get the hang of it. I don’t think I ever beat a boss on a first attempt, so you basically have to already know what’s coming or you’re screwed. It can be pretty hard from time to time but satisfying as you progress.

Gain Ground
: This was the first game Sean and I played after I bought this collection. I didn’t expect much from this older arcade game but it’s actually well, exciting. Kind of reminds me of a predecessor to Super Smash TV it’s got enjoyable multiplayer and a simple goal… To gain ground.

Golden Axe III
: What’s great about the Golden Axe series is that the changes are always subtle. I mean aside from the technical advancements this is still the same great formula. The game has a new Panther Guy character and some big buff dude and even the dwarf guy makes appearances in cut scenes.

Beyond Oasis
: I haven’t gotten to deep into this one, but it’s quite impressive considering the era it was released in. A Zelda inspired adventure game, Beyond Oasis has pretty good graphics considering it came out in 1994. Plus it’s always a nice change of pace to get a fantasy game that’s not turn based.

5 Least Favorite New Games

Bonanza Bros.
This looked like it could be fun but it was a terrible disappointment. The gameplay is stiff, the graphics suck balls and I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be doing.

ESWAT: City Under Siege
: This run of the mill shooter really pisses me off. It’s not that fun, it’s hard and I can’t even get to the portion of the game where your guy wears sweet armor.

Dynamite Heady
: I’ve really only played the first level but I quickly grew sick of this game. It’s fun having a character that throws his head to fight but there’s just too much shit going on in this game. Things flying all around and I can never tell when I’m getting hurt. Not to mention the main character is pretty annoying, he reminds me of Rayman except way lamer.

Super Thunder Blade
: This game seriously takes about a billion tries before you can actually figure out how to play. It’s too confusing, I can never tell how close I am to being hit by a missile due to the 2d graphics and to top it off the controls are sloppy.

Fatal Labyrinth
: This game is seriously a joke. You’re basically just wandering around a labyrinth fighting monsters but the combat setup is just bizarre. You walk up to an enemy press the attack button and the bottom of the screen will say something like “You have inflicted 1 point damage” but it’s impossible to get in more than one hit at a time. So you basically go back and forth with every single enemy you fight. It’s tedious and painful to watch or play, this game is my fatal labyrinth.

The Good
– 40 classic sega games with an additional 9 to unlock!
– Crisp new graphics
– You can unlock interviews with important players in the Sega world.
– Most of the secret games aren’t too tough to unlock
– It’s got all the Streets of Rages, Sonics and Golden Axes
– You can save in any game at any time.

The Bad
– Basically all the hidden games (aside from maybe Space Harrier) are terrible.
– There’s no Toe Jam and Earl, Gunstar Heroes or Double Dragon
– Most of the game’s screens are too small

So it’s a respectable collection that has it’s downfalls but overall is a blast to the past. If you long for the days of 16 bit glory than this is your game.

Peter Bjorn and John – Living Thing

I’d been fired up for Peter Bjorn and John’s latest release ever since I heard the two lead off singles about a month ago. Indeed an unpredictable group, this Stockholm trio has released their most innovative album yet with Living Thing a listening experience with surprises around every corner.

I’ve always found it striking that Peter Bjorn and John have never tried to associate themselves with any one defining sound. Instead they choose to continue experimenting with and approaching their music in different ways with each new album. I saw some of this on their breakthrough third album Writer’s Block but here they take that mentality to a new extreme. Living Thing draws inspiration from a whole slew of different genres including; Hip Hop, 80s Rock/Pop and Electronica/Dance music and though it’s not the most cohesive album, it certainly has a vast amount of compelling ideas and creative sounds.

At first “Nothing to Worry About” was the standout track in my mind. It’s got that infectious chorus of singing children and such a tight groove, it wasn’t hard for me to be won over by it’s hip hop inspired sing-a-long style. The album’s second single “Lay It Down” has definitely become my favorite track on the album. You might be taken aback by it’s raunchiness on a first listen but it’s just so catchy and poppy. Other highlights come around here and there in certain spots and moments. “Just the Past” is a relaxing beat machine driven number, while I enjoy the serene echoed guitar on “I Want You!”

I hear Peter Bjorn and John all contribute to writing the tunes and apparently all sing lead, as I’ve noticed some other vocals aside from Peter Moren leading various songs. All three members claim to be inspired by different types of music, revealing the answer to why no two songs sound alike and perhaps why this is my favorite Peter Bjorn and John album yet.

“Young Folks” became an indie smash a few years ago, but Peter Bjorn an John clearly didn’t let that get to their heads. Instead of trying to repeat the success of that single by replicating it’s sound, they’ve just gone forward doing whatever they want. I respect that kind of fearlessness so I’ve been fairly open to all of the unusual musical dabbling on Living Thing. This album is not for everyone but if your a fan of experimental Indie Pop than this might be right down on your ally

Favorite Tracks: “Blue Period Picasso”, “Lay it Down”, “Nothing to Worry About”