Blarghagh

Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I'd rank it second only to the first Iron Man in terms of coherence, plot and character and second only to The Avengers in terms of adrenaline and spectacle. It's been a while since one of these films felt like more than a "here's something while you wait for the movie you actually want to see" and works in it's own right.

Sandra Bullock did a fair amount of Shia LeBeouf-ing in Gravity, just muttered "no no no no no no" ad infinitum. :D I thought the movie itself started out really strong and slowly collapsed - they made Bullock's character incredibly incompetent (to the point it was hard to believe she had been through any form of basic training) just to keep up tension and it completely destroyed the suspension of disbelief. The first half hour, however, was incredible and it was worth watching for that. A word of caution, if you have problems with motion sickness the first half hour is going to make you hurl. Not an oscar winner by any stretch, but that first half hour at least is must see, especially that badass twenty minute tracking shot. I watched Knights of Badassdom and was thoroughly entertained although the monster design was forehead-slappingly-bad. It looked like a giant Gremlin. But oh well, low budget and it was still hilarious. Do the pages of thine Monster Manual remain... stuketh together?

That's awesome. Oh, how I wish that was the only thing it still was.

I thought a couple of things were unlikely (I didn't think Katniss did nearly enough in the first flick to justify her being a symbol for the rebellion and I scratch my head as to how exactly holding the Hunger Games keeps the districts in check instead of everyone going "you make kids murder each other? take this molotov to the face you bastards!") but overall I thought they were pretty good. I'm hoping the movies will remain good, but thanks for the heads up. I'll try to keep realistic motivations.

What's wrong with The Hunger Games?

I didn't say the animation wasn't finished. I don't know if it is - what I said was that we haven't seen it from the angle and distance we will be seeing it in the actual game. A lot of things that are neccesary for, say film or first person games, like a feeling of weight and follow-through, don't always register from an isometric perspective - a lot of that only registers through human eyes because of horizon/eyeline and those don't exist in isometric. These animations don't have to work from the front perspective, only from the in-game perspective, so they'll be done and tested for that only - they're not meant to look perfect from the front. I'm not saying that these animations are suddenly perfect, I'm just saying that these preview shots from a completely different perspective don't give any real indication of what it looks like if you're playing the game. Analysing it based on these shots doesn't really have a point.

Don't overanalyse these animations, guys. You're seeing them from an angle and distance you won't be seeing them in the game. What you're noticing now will probably not be visible in the finished product. Animation is all about efficiency - if you don't see it, you don't animate it. I can confirm that animators do this by nature of being one. I spent an inordinate amount of time the past half year running around pretending to be a soldier and shooting people with make believe bullets, and I've even attempted to run on all fours for creature animation for several days in a row.

Neat.

Okay, thanks.

To be completely fair, it's not as awful as I thought it would be and I've kindof warmed up to it. I mean, that's damning it with faint praise because it's still sexy vampires soap opera, but it's no Twilight. The actors seem to be having fun, it's fairly action oriented and sometimes it can be pretty clever, which it should be, being written by the guy who wrote all Scream movies. It's about on the same level as the same creator's other awful TV show, the Kevin Bacon starring serial killer cliché The Following. So, awful, but not actually as awful as it looks because it's post-Twilight vampire fiction. It's got more in common with Interview with a Vampire than it does Twilight. Plus, I get to enjoy the adorable Candice Accola being adorable and then I get to enjoy whatever hormones Ian Somerhalder manages to elicit from my ladyfriend by playing world's most bloodthirsty lovesick puppy. It's not a total loss. :D

Oh. Maybe I should have checked that. It came out about a week ago here.

Lucky dogs. I wish my girlfriend forced me to watch TWD. Instead, she insists on watching The Vampire Diaries with me.

Did this week's SHIELD have any important bearing or spoilers on Captain America: The Winter Soldier? I'm holding off until I figure that out, or until I manage to see that flick.

7 Days To Die?

Actually, the original TMNT comics were pretty gritty and violent as a parody of the comics of the time, such as Frank Miller's stuff. Most of the humor came from overplaying the seriousness. They straight up murdered the Shredder in the first issue if I recall. Not saying you're wrong, the TMNT that became a worldwide hit was lighthearted and fun and that's how I prefer my TMNT, but that was actually a departure by itself.

Michael Bay isn't actually directing this. Jonathan Liebesman of Battle: Los Angeles has taken up that role. Bay is only producing. I still enjoy the original TMNT film. It could be nostalgia, but other than it being dated and being in desperate need for a spotlight (MAN it's dark) I think it still holds up fairly well for a kids film. It's got a lovely multilevel plot with strong themes of fatherhood and brotherhood and the puppets look a sure sight more convincing than those CG monstrosities (and this is coming from someone who generally supports CG in films), it's incredibly quotable and some of the jokes still crack me up, ("You're a claustrophobic!" "I'll kick your ass! I've never even looked at another man before!") and the characterisation and character dynamic is solid. I mean, it's not perfect and like many special effects heavy films of the time it's now very slow. I gotta disagree that the new April is better looking too, since Megan Fox hasn't been attractive since she replaced her entire face with cheekbones. Such a shame, since she was gorgeous in Transformers.

Wait, so Shredder and April O'Neill's dad made the turtles? My girlfriend's reaction was: "Gross, what is wrong with their faces?" although she may have been referring to Megan Fox' new face, which is faker than the Turtles.

I haven't paid attention to the patching but it's about three weeks ago on the autopatching steam version.

I get that he means it in good fun but I consider advocating alchohol as a cure for depression, even as a joke, to be distinctly in the "not okay" department. It hits a personal nerve for me.

Oh gee, all my problems are solved now. I was only depressed because I didn't get drunk and laid. Oh wait, I actually have a healthy sex life and I had to stop drinking because it started out as this and then turned into self-medicating with alcohol and it made everything worse. Depression =/= being sad. Sadness is not always one of the symptoms. In fact, most forms of clinical depression stop you from being able to process that emotion correctly. Don't get me wrong, a healthy sex life is great and it does help in dealing with it but it is not a cure. Well, unless sex is a major part of your deeper issues, anyway.

Ohoh... I just finished Act I and noticed Act II was a desert and deserts tend to be kind of boring...is it really that bad? Act II is the worst act in the game due to the desert portions. There are relief sections (tombs, sewers, oasis) but all of these stretch on a bit too long as well, which makes the desert even more unbearable.

First off, if you think you will hurt yourself or others around you, please seek help. It's hard to reach out, in fact I often use this board as place to vent those emotions myself, but if it is too bad take the leap and talk to someone. Your GP can probably refer you to someone who can help you. I've been dealing with recurring depressions for a while now, and I've got some general tips that probably will not solve it but will make it more bearable. They're things that you can use when "be proactive" or "work on what you want" don't work because at the times you are certain that you've lost the ability to care or even experience emotions. I don't know what your problems are, so I'm just going to list everything that comes to mind that has been beneficial for me. First up, nutrition, excercise and sleep. Get these things in order. Physical health helps your mental health. It's hard to keep to these things, but it is important that you try. I notice that when I lapse in these things, I quickly start to feel bad again. - Keep to a sleep schedule. Go to bed and get out of bed at the same times every day - even on weekends. - Try to avoid sleep deprivation. If you sleep too little every weekday, you cannot catch up be sleeping in during the weekend. Sleep doesn't work that way. A sleep debt is not so easily repaid. - Time your sleep schedule to fit 90 minute chunks (three hours, four and a half hours, six hours, seven and a half hours). Ideally, you will get at least seven and a half hours of sleep, but if you don't have time for that, make sure it's one of those chunks. Sleep cycles are roughly 90 minutes and you generally wake up naturally at the end of one of these chunks - this is why, if you wake up and then decide to stay in bed for an extra half hour you will likely end up more tired than before. The average human takes about fifteen minutes to get to sleep, so plan accordingly! - Practice good sleep hygiene - don't work, browse, play games etc. in your bed and try not to use any screen for at least an hour before you sleep (and if you have to, use a program like f.lux to control the light values). Have a routine before you sleep instead, a series of action that your body and mind will associate with sleep to make it easier to sleep. - If you have problems sleeping, consult a professional. There are a load of problems that can cause this, including sleep apnea or DSPS. - Try to eat healthy. Try to avoid fast food and sugary snacks because they have temporary highs with bad crashes afterwards and are bad for your health. - Sugar replacements (i.e. diet coke instead of regular) do barely nothing to remove the problem of sugary snacks - they will not help. - Don't do away with carbs, just choose smart ones. Whole-wheat bread and pasta or oatmeal are a good choice for carbs. - Eat nuts, fruits, leafy greens and fatty fish. Bananas have a bunch of positive effects and citrus fruits will increase your vitamin B supply which has been linked to causing depression and anxiety before. Eggs and chicken have also been losing their bad image. - Eat breakfast. Seriously. The quickest way for me to fall back into serious depression is to stop eating in the mornings. - Excercise. At least 30 minutes per day. It doesn't have to be in one chunk, but remaining sedentary is a serious contributer to depression. Take breaks to do a quick walk around the block or around the halls if you can't find time to excercise. I know other people here will be a better help when it comes to this topic - I don't know a lot about what excercises are good and I don't have a lot of experience with it myself due to back and wrist problems, but at least 30 minutes of basic excercise is a must. Don't overdo it though, the goal is to become energized, not exhausted. Start slow. More general tips would be: - Meditate. Seriously. I was a skeptic up until two months ago - meditation, especially mindfulness meditation, has been an important factor in improving my moods. Even when I fail at guiding my thoughts and get frustrated at myself, it still helps my overall focus when I do it at least ten minutes per day. - Allow yourself to do things that you enjoy or used to enjoy. I often hate myself for foregoing work and playing video games - but in fact, doing this all the time makes it sap your energy as if you are doing work. Set time aside to play a game you want to play. Productivity should not come at the cost of mental health, even if the world pretends that productivity is the most important thing in the world. Nostalgia is also powerful in improving your mood - play a game you used to love, or watch a movie that you liked as a child. - Get at least a little sunlight each day. Sunlight, unless you have problems with it, is generally beneficial as long as you're not exposed to it for too long. If not possible due to health problems or night jobs, try light therapy. - Don't isolate yourself. Even when you feel like you really don't want to see people, and that dealing with people will be a hassle, or if you are ashamed of yourself, still try to interact with real people, face to face. Humans are social animals and not having human contact will make your mood worse. - Related to the previous one, forgive people who are trying to help you. When they say platitudes and nonsense about "being positive", "be happy" and "just do it" when these options may feel like they don't even exist for you anymore, keep in mind that they are trying to help. Many people confuse depression with being sad. The amount of times I've been told "oh yeah, I know exactly how you feel, I was so sad after..." is astounding, but they most likely do not have a proper frame of reference. The amount of misinformation on depression is painful. Someone who tells you "watch this movie, it's impossible not to feel happy when watching it" probably doesn't understand that depression affects how well you are able to process emotions. - Keep a journal. Even if you don't have anything to say, write one line. You don't have to write more. Just keep one to record your thoughts about the day. It helps in understanding yourself. - I see you're doing this, but having a creative hobby works wonders. Nothing cheers you up than creating something, even if it's just a awful rendition of a sad song on an old guitar. - You might want to think about some form of charity. It's hard to feel bad about yourself if you're helping others, even if you're only doing it to help yourself. - If you have too much on your mind, make lists and organize them. Get them out of your head. - Try cognitive therapy. There are plenty of guides as to how it works, but it generally comes down to taking things (for example, words) that you think describe you or make you feel bad about yourself and trying to change their meaning. If you say "loser" 50 times really fast it sort of just becomes a noise instead of a word. Cognitive therapy is meant to change "cognitive distortions", for example when someone would feel "I failed to meet this one deadline, that makes me a complete failure" is a distortion that is detrimental. For more information you should probably google it, or get a book, or talk to an expert. I am terrible at explaning it. - Opposite, try positive affirmations. Tell yourself that you're great, you forgive yourself for your transgressions, that you are worth loving - it will probably feel disingenuous, but say it often enough and a part of you will believe it. - Smile. Specifically, practice what is referred to as "duchenne smiling" - the human brain is weird and having expressions of happiness will often trick your brain in actually feeling it as well. These may or may not be things that will solve the problems causing your depression. I am not a medical professional so I don't take responsibility if they don't work, but they are things that tend to help me. Now if only I could practice what I preach... It's hard to actually work at being happy when sometimes feeling miserable or getting completely numb to feelings all together is so much easier. It has taken me a seriously long time to get out of just roaming around my life like a zombie and I am still not truly functional, with serious self-worth problems that I have barely scratched the surface of. EDIT: Actually, I should probably thank you for posting this. This is the first time I've organized all my methods into a list that I could possibly hold myself to and read whenever I need to. I've never managed to organize is for myself because my self-worth issues make it really hard for me to put time into helping myself and I generally only keep myself to a couple at a time so this is actually helpful for myself. I hope it has some things you and other people here can use.

If you replace World of WarCraft with Pokémon, that would be my weekend. Depression is a bitch.

And Then The Lord Spake Unto Ourselves And Told Us To Eat You Fine Folks?