Alright, time for a good ol' fashioned update, since I haven't done a real one in a long while.

First off, the final video project from school is done and posted on Youtube. It is titled "Illusions", and follows the adventures of Ricky Jones as he decides not to take his medication one day, and strange things start happening to him. Technically the film is unfinished, but it is still very much watchable. The only problem is that a few transitions, sounds and effects never got into the movie before the deadline. Anyway, I liked the way it turned out, and the class seemed to like it as well. It's worth watching at least for the fight sequence I think

Click to view Illusions

I also posted a collection of bloopers from our previous film, The Encounter. Warning: strong lanuage is used...all by me -_-

Click to view The Encounter bloopers

So Grade 12 is done for me...kinda. I'm happy to say that I'm going back for a fifth year (also known as super 12) in September. This is because I'm one of those oddballs who likes school, and because I don't want to be thrown out into the real world just yet. To tell the truth, it makes me kind of nervous, nearing the age where I'll have to get a full time job and live on my own. :S I need to start looking into some colleges...

Gaming wise, a big turn of events is that I sold my Xbox 360 a while ago. I think this was a good choice because I hardly played it since I bought my PS3 and I was in fear of it breaking for the third time. It's also helping me with my video game hiatus. Yes, that right. As part of my summer plan, I've decided to shorten my time playing games to lenghten productivity. Throughout the summer, I hope to do things like cook, learn how to drive, write a bit, volunteer for some community sevice, and a whole bunch of other awesome things. I love playing games, but I think im overdue for a long break from them.

Another thing I've noticed over the past two months is that I have begun a starnge fasination with anime. Normally I hated them for ridiculous plots involving underaged teenagers going on grand adventures (Pokemon, Naruto), and for never ending in ridiculous amount of episodes (Bleach, One Piece). But recently I've found a few series that are quite mature, dark, and short on length. My favourite of them is probably Death Note, in which a high school student (NOT a ten year old) finds a notebook that can kill people. The series spands over 37 episodes, so check it out if you get the chance.

Hope all of you have a great summer!

We as humans like numbers. That's just how we roll. They can sum up our value of anything, and are used to show pricing, quanity and quality of every day items. We depend on them for grocery shopping, paying bills and basic math. Why you would almost think we are dependant on numbers. Luckily though, we still have our opinions and independant thoughts, and those couldn't possibly be represented by ratings, right?

Sadly no, of course they can. I mean, how do you think our grades in school are made, or television ratings monitored? Our opnions are simplified into digits so that they may be easily processed by the big shots in the industry. It's the same with reviews; the writer puts a score based on his thoughts onto the review so the general public can get an overall grasp of his views. That's all fine, but the problem I have with this system is that many people only look at the digits, and the actual review itself becomes secondary. What's the point of voicing opinons then, if no one's going to read them?

Look at the arguements fanboys typically make.

"On GameTrailers, Halo 3 got a 9.8, but Killzone 2 only got a 9.2. That clearly means they liked Halo 3 better. Do the math!"

Honestly, this is an insult to reviewers everywhere. Instead of hearing what reviewers have to say about the quality of the game, gamers compare the score like immature children comparing school test marks. The statement tells nothing about the qualities that make Halo 3 score so high, or what could make Killzone 2's slightly lower. That number we reviewers give does not justify our opinion, or yours for that matter. For example, which of the following people would be more helpful to a reader:

"inFamous is a great game. The gameplay is a lot of fun and the missions are well varied and keep the concept of electrical powers fresh and exciting."

"inFamous is a great game. Definitely a 5/5."

Obviously the first guy is more useful. He tells of many positive aspects that make inFamous a great game, where the second merely gives a score. Numbers do not prove a point. Let your words do that.

Unfortunately, the second guy's arguement is used more often, and that my friends is because people are lazy. I'll even use one of my recent reviews to prove it.

Not too long ago, I wrote a review for Resident Evil 5 and posted it on several gaming sites. This was my first review without a score, but since Gamespot's posting system required one, I'd decided to just give it a 1/10 as a joke and make a disclaimer in the header saying the rating meant nothing. Apparantly the disclaimer wasn't enough.

Link to NailBail's Resident Evil 5 Review

As you can see, the review was thumbed down numourous times, most likely due to the fact that I gave the game "such an atrocious score". Yet if any of those people actually bothered to read the darn thing, they would see that I actually didn't mind the game at all. I wasn't even angry about their ignorance. In fact, I was laughing because the controversy of the low score made it my most popular review, with more than double the ratings of my previous articles. This proves that readers value the number we give more than the words behind it.

As a reviewer, I can say that most of us take some time and thought to put together a decent article. We do it for the benefit of the public, to let them know what are the hits and misses. That's why I get a little upset when fanboys brandish scores and ratings around like weapons, and why I don't want to use a score. A number is not what makes a game, but the experiences felt from the gamer, and that's what we try to tell you in our reviews. Read what we have to say, listen to our opinions, or else you'll just be a calculator processing numbers.

Movie Review: The Godfather
Genre: Drama
Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Rating: 5/5

An offer you can't refuse? How about a movie you can't miss!

Ever since it was release back in 1972, The Godfather has been known as a masterpiece. Not only considered to be the best mafia flick of all time, but one of the best movies in general. After seeing this film for the first time, I now know why it is still so acclaimed to this day. The actors are brilliantly casted, the characters are likeable and believable, and has one of the best stories in cinema Hollywood has to offer.

Don Vito Corleone (Brando) is the leader/head of the Corleone Mafia Family, and hosts his daughter's wedding while arranging business plans. His youngest son, Michael (Pacino), returns to New York from World War 2 in time for the wedding, and is the only one in the family not involved with "the business". When the Don is attacked and is almost killed, it is up to Michael to avenge his father. After the revenge is complete, Michael goes into hiding in Italy while war wages between the five Mafia families in NY. The members of the Corleone family need to figure out how to settle the war, as well as decide what will become of the Don and his unknown successor.

Probably the most interesting character in the movie is Michael, the aspiring college student destined for great things. His development from being a civilian to a boss leader is one of the biggest aspects of the plot, and really drives the story. If there is a thing to critique about this otherwise fantastic development of a character, it is that Michael's motives are never really made clear. We don't know why he suddenly changes his mind about joining the family business, or why he's willing to kill for them. Maybe it's because of his love for his father, or the business somehow seduced him into it, but we never find out, leaving his intentions a mystery.

Every actor in The Godfather is fantastic and wonderfully casted. Brando and Pacino make great leading roles, and even smaller parts like Bonasara and Solozzo do terrific jobs in creating a believable world of crime. It is their performances that make watching the nearly three hour flick great, though cutting the movie's length down would certainly help move it along.

It is astounding to know then, that this perfect cast almost never was. Paramount Pictures hated the idea of Brando playing as the Don, and even stars Al Pacino and Robert Duvall were thought to have been poor choices. Thanks to Coppola's persistence and determination however, the studio gave in and allowed Coppola to have the actors he desired. Who knows how the movie would've fared if Coppola decided to back down?

There is no doubt on The Godfather's legacy. Even with some slight confusion on character development and being quite a lengthy film, it's still a phenomenal movie that deserves the praise that it gets. It has a great plot with fantastic characters to boot. Go see The Godfather, or you'll be missing one of the timeless movies of all time.

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Oh ya, and on a side note, sorry for not being here in like a month. School had been really pressing with all these projects and exams coming up. Luckily the summer break is almost here, and I'll be able to continue doing blogs and other reviews and such. This review was one of my assignments I had to make, so I thought I might as well post it. See you guys in a few weeks!