I've never seen the movie so I can't say for sure whether or not the guy is right, but these things jump out at me from the review:
1. He used the term 'hipster' way too many times to be taken seriously.
2. He knocks the three developers in the movie for making puzzle platformers, particularly the fact that it's a genre that's been around for a while, and both of his company's games are dungeon crawlers.
3. He thinks posting the fact that Phil Fish has a scraggly beard is supposed to get us to hate Phil Fish more, instead of indicating to the reader that the reviewer is quite shallow.
4. Scenic establishment shots are a pretty well established tool in cinema, knocking the movie for having them seems kid of weird. I'll reserve judgment on this before seeing the movie, but it's clear he's not a film critic yet talks with the supposed authority of one.
5. What the hell was he expecting with the movie poster? It's an interestingly shot photo of something related to the film's content. He was very clearly just coming up with shit at this point.
Basically, the movie may or may not be bad but reading this article made me like the reviewer about as much as I like Phil Fish.
No. It was not explained in the movie which leads me to think that it was just put in the movie for the sake of being hip or artsy. I mean come on, the picture doesn't really make any sense.
Also, why isn't Fez on the PC yet? Did Fish make it a timed exclusive for the 360?
god forbid they use a striking image for purely visual reasons. Let's use "hip" and "artsy" since they clearly mean something bad and lacking in content.
the overuse (and wrongly at that) of the word "pretentious" is seriously destroying everything. It's like a shelter to hide for those who dont have clear opinions about what they criticize.
"oh it's so pretentious" = no need to say anything else apparently
Anyone know the back story on this? Where it's from and how it was captured?
They're making something more important than it actually is. Also, when they use an image as striking but also as baffling as a controller hanging from a power line, most viewers are going to demand an explanation.
They're elevating the trials and tribulations of indie devs when other devs have it tough as well. Besides, most indie devs chose to be indie devs themselves so why are they whining?
Was at a Q and A screening with the directors and they mentioned that in the early stages of the film, they were exiting somewhere (I think a cafe for a meeting/planning session) in Canada and saw the controller hanging on a telephone wire outside.
They grabbed their cameras because they thought it was a sign. Apparently, it was very very early on in the film's development.
no one's really sure but I bet a hundred space bucks it ends up there eventually
could be a year I guess
And yeah, it was super pretentious. Why am I watching some guy sitting at the bottom of the pool?
I think the biggest achievement of the film regarding it's focus on the people behind the games rather than the creative process is the fact that this makes a great piece to show to those who know very little about videogames but are open to learn more about them.
My dad knows i've worked in some games and that im a huge enthusiast of the medium but barely knows anything about it other than clumsily trying to play something with me and failing. He's eager to watch this film in order to comprehend my interests and what drives me towards them a bit more. Really thankful for this film coming out.
I'd be embarrassed to show someone this film and go 'this is me'I think the biggest achievement of the film regarding it's focus on the people behind the games rather than the creative process is the fact that this makes a great piece to show to those who know very little about videogames but are open to learn more about them.
My dad knows i've worked in some games and that im a huge enthusiast of the medium but barely knows anything about it other than clumsily trying to play something with me and failing. He's eager to watch this film in order to comprehend my interests and what drives me towards them a bit more. Really thankful for this film coming out.
I'd be embarrassed to show someone this film and go 'this is me'
I wholeheartedly disagree with the idea that the creation of meaningful work has to be self destructive, which seemed to be the biggest focus of the film.
I'd be embarrassed to show someone this film and go 'this is me'
I wholeheartedly disagree with the idea that the creation of meaningful work has to be self destructive, which seemed to be the biggest focus of the film.
I loved the movie, but I don't think it does anything but highlight their personal struggles (nothing wrong with that but...) it does nothing for video games or video game creation as a whole, which I would have probably thought was the point.
Uh, couldn't disagree more. It validates these guys as "artists". Like it or not, the public perception is that great art can only be created in conjunction with great personal suffering, mental breakdowns, high emotions, ect. This movie is literally two hours of over-dramatic, clearly stressed but clearly passionate dudes pouring their lives into their craft, having meltdowns, crying, reflecting on childhood, blah blah. And it was really well made to boot. Heck, just hop on over to the rotten tomatoes page and you'll see some big name reviewers waxing on the artistic process and passion involved and whatnot. It's validating in that it shows that game developers can be real, actual artists, and not just faceless corporate drones.
I never said anything about any of that.
They are artists. And it is about them. It is NOT however about video games. It is about them. That's all I said. I don't know where you're getting anything else from what I said. It could be about three filmmakers and you wouldn't notice anything different.
If you spent less time trolling in indie game threads, and creepily and nonsensically posting my avatar, whatever that is even supposed to mean, you might yourself be able to develop something someday that's actually worth a shit.
Your avatar is twee as fuck and fits well with the ethos of laughable hipsterdom.
they're putting a controller hanging from a wire. It could mean that they're trying to show how these developers are basically grasping trying to hang on to their game while putting themselves tangling with the possibility to fall into a very harmful situation, or it could mean JACKSHIT and they just thought "hey this controller looks cool, and having a prolonged shot of it helps with the vibe and rythm we're trying to achieve."
what makes you so sure that "they're making it something more important than it actually is", I'll tell you what: your made up mind against a supposed "movement" only created by those who decided to hate it. There's nothing to make you think they meant anything more than what they presented. And if there is: it's certainly there, since you seem to have percieved it.
Yeah, that's pretty much what the word "pretentious" created.
You basically cant film something just for the sake of pace, mood, or purely cause its pretty. Everything needs to have a meaning. In the sense that if you film something like that, you're clearly trying to imply SOMETHING, and you dont explain that something cause you dont know what it is but you totes wanna give the impression of you being deep and oh so hip.
It's the most retarded argument ever. If you go back to the history of films there would be a bunch of what are now considered "classics" that would fall under this type of """criticism"""
they're putting a controller hanging from a wire. It could mean that they're trying to show how these developers are basically grasping trying to hang on to their game while putting themselves tangling with the possibility to fall into a very harmful situation, or it could mean JACKSHIT and they just thought "hey this controller looks cool, and having a prolonged shot of it helps with the vibe and rythm we're trying to achieve."
what makes you so sure that "they're making it something more important than it actually is", I'll tell you what: your made up mind against a supposed "movement" only created by those who decided to hate it. There's nothing to make you think they meant anything more than what they presented. And if there is: it's certainly there, since you seem to have percieved it.
I'm not really trying to convince people that the movie is bad, because it isn't really, it's sort of mediocre but not terrible. I personally think its subject matter is causing it to be overrated, but I understand if people feel otherwise. I'm just explaining why it's so easily mockable.
It is possible, in this universe of infinite possibilities, to simultaneously enjoy indie games, and to think that some indie devs, especially some of the devs featured in this film, to be ridiculous people, and to think that this film is ridiculous. Additionally, it is also quite possible to make a film about other indie developers that don't make them seem like socially maladjusted drama queens.
This film deserves its place for 'creating awareness' of indie developers. But at the same time, it's sort of like lauding Black Swan for its dramatic portrayal of the cutthroat, high-stakes world of ballet recitals. Or Showgirls for publicizing the unseen battleground of burlesque.
The fact that they are ridiculous people is what makes it interesting! You don't make a documentary about regular people, you make it about the mentally unstable man who wanted to live with grizzly bears, or the crazy French guy who walked across the twin towers on a tightrope.
Honestly, I could see myself doing the same thing in their position. Early night then wake up incase things fuck up. Which they did. Quiet day with my partner would sound like the perfect come-down after a year of solid development.The saddest part for me was that they are all outcasts, the only friend they have and that they care for is their game.
I mean, they didn't even have a release party for SMB. If that was my game I would be up in the club getting buzzed with my friends celebrating like every other normal person but they just went to bed instead lol
It's mockable because people have a hard time dealing with anyone discussing videogames in any serious sense or with any thorough use of thought. As long as you talk about videogames with words such as "dude" and "awesome", then you'll be okay. If you think harder about games, then you start to upset people that have some deep insecurities. This is why people respond more favorably to how Ed is depicted in the movie than they do to a guy like Blow. Ed uses more "appropriate" terminology.
It's sort of like how a politician will drop into a "common folk" speech and make the hearts of couch taters all-a-flutter.