The triumphant return. Black clouds part and the Hipster sun burns down upon your fedoras and argyle v-neck sweaters once again. For those of you that have been holding your breath for two weeks, your waiting has come to an end (though you may want to contact the Guinness Book of World Records, or your local Hospital). We have an excellent selection of Hipster choices for your viewing/playing/listening pleasure today. Let's get to it, shall we?
tstitan: Kung Fu Chaos
Stereotypes are damaging. Stereotypes are lazy. Stereotypes are hurtful. Stereotypes are bad, mkay?
In Kung Fu Chaos, stereotypes are hilarious.
Kung Fu Chaos released for the original X-Box in 2003 when party games were starting to become a tired notion. In terms of party game madness, Kung Fu Chaos is among the best in offering a diverse experience for four players. The main mechanic involves players attempting to knock other players off their feet and proceed to taunt them. When players successfully taunt their floored opponents, they are awarded a star. Get three stars, and you can unleash an invincible super attack that kills everything in its path. In multiplayer matches, the player with the most kills is the victor. In addition to the standard brawler mode that sees players kicking the crap out of each other as the screen pans through a filming, players can also challenge their friends to mini-games thrown in for flavor; players must play a game of ‘hot potato’ using an ugly princess, ‘hungry, hungry hippos’ by feeding ravenous statues the bodies of their enemies, platforming segments during a Jurassic Park-esque waterfall ride, and frantic item collecting. Additionally, matches can be recorded and Shao Ting adds his own highlights and commentary for each match. The camera often has a hard time keeping everybody in the frame at the same time, but that only serves to add to the frenetic chaos each multiplayer bout affords. For bite-sized chunks of multiplayer madness, Kung Fu Chaos rivals the bigger names in party game funtimes.
The first thing to note about Kung Fu Chaos; it’s f*cking hysterical. Every menu and every cut-scene is laden with Kung Fu sound effects and eastern Hollywood flavor. The entire game plays like a Kung Fu movie being filmed, complete with outrageous locales and ridiculous deaths. Every step of the way, players are berated by the very loud critique of the film’s director, Shao Ting. Shao Ting is non-stop one-liners and themed banter, pointing out mistakes, making fun of player deaths, and shoddy directing. All of it is delivered with an almost unbearable amount of obnoxiousness. Shao Ting even becomes playable upon completion of the single-player campaign, attacking with his megaphone and causing cochlear hemorrhaging with his intolerable voice. I love Shao Ting.
Some memorable quotes from Shao Ting:
“Team does not have the letter ‘I’ in it…but Tim does! Good Job, Tim!”
“Jade team like a flock of birds! With weapons! And Arms! And no beaks, either!”
“I direct you to get hit!”
Comedy gold.
Everything in Kung Fu Chaos is an homage to 70’s chop-sockey film-making. Every character is a ridiculous stereotype, so much so that the game came under fire from some more sensitive types. Every character is an exaggerated racial stereotype. For example, Lucy Cannon is an African-American hot head, her design taking inspiration from blaxploitation films. Candi Roll is a busty blonde with pigtails and pink roller skates. Shao Ting is probably the worst offender, with a heavy Chinese accent, greasy hair, and overtly perverted tendencies. The justification for these portrayals given by the Just Add Monsters was “we made this game because we love Kung Fu movies, and everything in the game is a reference to particular movies we like.” Fair enough, depending on whom you talk to…
Despite how seemingly varied the gameplay options are, the game is not particularly multi-dimensional when you really get into it. At the end of the round, the player that mashed ‘play’ on ‘X’ and ‘Y’ the fastest is generally the victor. The main draw of Kung Fu Chaos is the MSG-laden helping of character throughout. For someone that gets a monstrous kick out of old-school Bruce Lee flicks and the glorious parody-stylings of Kung Pow, Kung Fu Chaos is a riotous good time. Few party games eclipse the side-splitting good times I had with this forgotten game. If you still have Microsoft’s debut machine, I suggest you seek this crazy game out. And then buy it. And then play it.
tstitan: Where the Buffalo Roam
When one ponders the works of Hunter S. Thompson, several things come to mind; Gonzo journalism, ink splatter-type font, drugs and alcohol…and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The Art Linson film starring Johnny Depp is considered a Cult Classic by film buffs, and is among the weirdest films in modern cinema (at least, weird for mainstream media). The semi-autobiographical accounts of Thompson, the controversial journalist, are brought to the silver screen in what appears to be a drug-fueled haze of bizarre situations and unorthodox camera angles/effects. What many don’t know is that in 1980, Art Linson made his first attempt at bringing the insane exploits of the gonzo journalist to the big screen (and indeed was his directorial debut). Though not quite as trippy as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, it still exudes a positively archaic amount of charm and nuttiness.
Where the Buffalo Roam chronicles the (exaggerated) exploits of Hunter S. Thompson as he journeys across the United States covering major events of the Nixon years, including a controversial drug trial in 1968, and the1972 Super Bowl and the Presidential Election of the same year. Accompanying Thompson on most of these endeavors is Attorney Carl Lazlo (a pseudonym for real life activist Oscar Zeta Acosta, whom the character is based on), an advocate for the burnout hippy youth and lifestyle extremist. What unfolds on-screen is a strange trip, as we see Thompson and Lazlo engaging in certifiably hedonistic behaviors throughout. If you’ve seen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas or have read any of Thompson’s books, you’ll know what to expect going into Where the Buffalo Roam.
Thompson is played by the great Bill Murray, in a role that ALMOST separates Murray from the rest of his roles in Hollywood. Bill Murray’s take on Thompson will be instantly familiar to those of you who have seen Fear and Loathing. Though not as bizarre in his mannerisms as Depp, Murray plays the often drunk and stoned, paranoia-ridden journalist in fine fashion. Murray behaves in an erratic, paroxysmal manner consistent with individuals habitually engaging in recreational drug and alcohol use; paranoid, unpredictable, erratic and completely nuts. The beauty of Thompson’s character is how completely insane he behaves and how poetically brilliant he is as a writer. Though Depp’s performance in Fear and Loathing is probably more impressive, Murray gives him a run for his money in Where the Buffalo Roam.
Lazlo, the extremist wannabe revolutionary, is played by the late Peter Boyle. Peter Boyle’s portrayal of Lazlo is infinitely better than the portrayal of Dr. Gonzo by Benicio del Toro in Fear and Loathing. In Fear and Loathing, the fictional character meant to portray Acosta was a purely hedonistic madman, devoid of anything resembling humanity. Lazlo in Where the Buffalo Roam is a much more relatable character, brought to life by a wonderfully passionate performance on the part of Boyle. Lazlo starts off the film as an unorthodox champion of liberty, and devolves into a self-indulgent radical by the film’s conclusion. Boyle and Murray work very well on-screen together, and craft some of the best chemistry you’re likely to see in 100 minutes of film.
Many of the themes prevalent throughout the various works of Hunter S. Thompson; Disillusionment, hedonism, gonzo journalism, and lots’o drugs. These elements make up the bulk of what’s to be observed watching Where the Buffalo Roam. Though Murray and Boyle manage to keep the mood light-hearted throughout the majority of the movie, some of the film’s subject matter remains hopelessly bloated and laden with political/social undertones. For those of you with a taste for the trippy, Where the Buffalo Roam is a slightly more palatable version of some of Hollywood’s most acid-based filmography. You may not feel completely stoned while watching it…but you’ll probably feel a bit buzzed.
Rezident Hazard: Emily Davis, Dark Matter
These days, I listen to a lot of science, skepticism, and atheist podcasts and radio shows while I’m working. Some are fantastic—The Thinking Atheist, The Atheist Experience, for instance. Some are good, Atheist Bible Study (especially their Chick Tract episodes), Skepticality, and Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Star Talk radio. One of them was pretty dismal, which was the Skeptic Wire—which devolved quickly into a group of people who spent an inordinate amount of time laughing at their own jokes with one of the hosts putting annoying emphasis on her swearing that just comes off as very phony. One good thing I found from there was a mention of this folksy rock singer, Emily Davis. How’s that for an intro?
Emily Davis is a singer and guitarist who plays acoustic folk punk and folk rock. What sparked my interest was the decidedly positive vibe the music has pertaining to science and skepticism. Most of my music entries in this will be Metal bands, and their views on religion are decidedly more aggressive, if you will. While the bashing of major religions is fun and all, Metal bands that simply take a more “pro-science” stance on lyrics are somewhat harder to find. Then again, Metal is aggressive by nature, so “let’s all think positive about stuff” is not a common lyrical theme.
Emily Davis’ music is not bludgeoning you with any stance or view, but simply celebrates what we have. The upbeat nature of the music makes it a fun listen while the incorporation of scientific themes makes it feel smart while also standing out in a world where music lyrics are all-too-often trash, mindless whining, or endless word salads. And yes, even as a Metalhead, many of the themes therein can grow quite tiring.
Emily’s beautiful, dare I say sexy (but not quite as sexy as Coeur de Pirate who sang for the Child of Light soundtrack) voice sounds as if she’s spinning the music to us on a personal level, and songs such as Our Own Moon express a shared feeling of the state of humanity for us science fiction dreamers. Indeed, we are born too soon to be standing on the moon with regularity and visiting the stars. We can see and understand the cosmos to a ridiculous degree, but we’re all “born too soon” to get to them. If you’ve ever sat outside on a warm summer night away from blinding city lights, stared at the stars, and just sighed at the enormity of the universe and the smallness of you and your insignificant little life—then you’ll want this music.
Sagan’s Song reminds us of the late, great man himself, Carl Sagan, who brought endless passion for learning and discovery to the world with another expansive look into the universe encompassing all of us. The Dark Matter album also covers a variety of science fiction elements, such as with Empty City (which feels post-apocalyptic), as well as a somewhat disjointedly upbeat song (Diablo) criticizing treatment of a girl by religiously superstitious father viewing her as the devil.
While not every song here is perfect, the album as a whole is upbeat, energetic, and a generally wonderful experience. Though she may sing that she’s too dumb to be an astronaut, I have a hard time believing that, and even if true, someone this enjoyable deserves it nonetheless.
Give the album a listen by clicking here, then do what I did, and buy it.
The end has come for this article. Lament, and then rejoice, knowing next Tuesday will bring more of the same. See ya then, ya freakin' sell-outs.