Matthew Scheybeler

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riddlefish Is it a movie? A video game? (I'm guessing video game--that would be pretty expensive for a movie, haha.)

skybella I actually got this a couple of years ago.

fnoo As tends to happen when you first sign up for Blippy.

Yeah, Valve is pretty much the only mainstream developer actually steering the industry anywhere these days. And aside from Left 4 Dead and Portal they've barely done anything in the last five years.

skybella Stop with the Zombie games and give us the final episode of Half-life II already!

fnoo I dunno. The HL2 Episodes are kind of regressive. They don't push the design any further, and in fact much of the design is not only recycled from but far sloppier than the parent game. The only thing the Episodes really have to offer is more story, and more familiar comfort food to crunch on.

Left 4 Dead is something new, and worth exploring a bit. It already has had an impact on the industry, in terms of reinvigorating the interest in cooperative play.

fnoo That said, I know what you're saying; it would be nice to finish the project, given that they've started it. As far as unfinished epics go, It doesn't bother me as much as, say, Shenmue. At least Half-Life 2 had a proper conclusion; everything after is all just an epilogue.

fnoo They do a good job of illustrating some thematic ideas purely through the design, though.

fitchgirl23 what does this do exactly?

skybella It's like having a tv guide in your hands that you can search, filter etc. But when you click the show, your comcast box switches channel. You can also watch on demand from here. I'd give it 3/5 but I'm sure it will approve over time. Certainly better than that horrible remote they give you.

fitchgirl23 oh ok thank you

skybella I'm a huge fan of the film-noir style and classic west coast crime fiction from this period: Dashiell Hammett & of course, Chandler. Polanski, whatever your view on his court case, is an excellent director and this is his take on the genre. Nicolson gives a great performance as the slick, slightly slimey protagonist who is more than a little out of his depth, and Faye Dunaway smoulders as the femme fatale.

skybella Great building of tension throughout, and the twist at the end *POTENTIAL SPOILER* is remarkably close to the bone for Nicolson, who, according to Wikipedia, didn't know at the time. Highly recommended!

jah Thanks, I'll check it out!

jacq oh man, this movie has to be in my top 10. so good.

riddlefish Man, I need to see this. Is it violent?

spacepants holy crap guys! anyone who hasn't seen this needs to see it now. it's a masterpiece of the genre and one of the best films of it's era and stands up today remarkably

skybella It was recommended as a classic heart-warming Christmas tale, but I guess the warmth is the warmth of nostalgia rather than the story, characters or performances. I was expecting a film - but not the plot - like The Princess Bride which, even if you missed as a kid, has enough to make it great to watch today.