I found the film interestingly transitional. While it’s surprising how modern Citizen Kane feels for a film of its time, Ambersons feels simultaneously likewise ahead of its time, yet also dated. There are many interesting and dynamic cinematography decisions (mirror shots, towering stairwell shots, the children fighting in the beginning. But the pacing is plodding and feels more remiscient of a film from the 1930’s. It feels like it’s from before Kane rather than after. Considering the amount that was cut, I’m skeptical of the claims of the intended cut being superior. That said, there’s a lot of confusing cuts and time advancements – perhaps more connective tissue between scenes would have made those smoother.
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Brief thoughts on Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
I enjoy the immersive sim subgenre of video games, focused on player agency and interlocking systems. I’m also a fan of the games of Arkane, who have made many of those over the years. While Dishonored and Prey rightfully get a lot of love, I haven’t checked out their earlier titles. I decided to give one of their early games, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic a shot. Is it actually interesting? Let’s find out!
Continue readingA years-late first-impressions review of the Dell XPS 13 9300
Recently, I picked up a Dell XPS 13 9300 – while a few years old, I picked it up for quite a bit market value ($500 CAD – when equivalent-ish models range from $600 to $900 on the used market). While I don’t plan to use it as my daily driver, I did have a need for a newer Intel machine – I didn’t have anything after Haswell; just my Ryzen desktop and M1 MacBook Air. However, I decided to give a shot, and overall was pleased by what I saw, albeit with some caveats. Here’s what I think…

Thoughts on The Man from Earth
I recently watched the much-lauded-on-the-Internet film The Man from Earth. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s about a Cro-Magnon man that’s immortal, has experienced history, and lives to tell about it to his unknowing friends. This movie gets praised a lot for its thought-provoking plot and effective use of its budget. While it gave me some ideas to meditate on, and I thought it was a great example of a “bottle episode”, I think it falls short in the claim of being one of the best intellectual movies. I wonder if a lot of its praise might have been due to coming at the right time at the right place. Spoilers (and unpolished opinions) below!