The Top 100:
Enjoy!
The journey up the river and deeper into the jungle is rewarding.
American Film Institutes Ranking: #29/100
Awards: Nominated for eight winning Sound and Cinematography.
My Rating: 
The right space for a lesson to exist is on a continuum where it goes past being a challenge but stops before it becomes inscrutable. Movies that are too easy become labeled as hackneyed. On the other end, movies that are completely impenetrable are only liked by a certain few; a parade of avant garde and social conscious critics try to prop up the significance as it falls on deaf ears.
Apocalypse Now hits that right spot. I’m not sure I understand all of it, but I get enough of it for it to continue to roll around in my brain. The movie exposes our faulty concepts on the meaning of insanity and then goes on to try and figure out who really is acting “crazy.” By the end, and maybe even still, I’m so disoriented that I’m not sure I can tease that one out.
Continue reading “Top 100 Movie Review: #29 – Apocalypse Now (1979)”
A quick change in the options menu makes the difference.
Sydlexia’s Ranking: #67/100
Developer: Capcom
My Rating: 
Life can be harsh. This current clinical rotation I’m at is pretty hard for me: I’m treating patients I’m not used to with a very strict clinical instructor while working lots of hours. When Friday night rolls around, I don’t want to have to deal with “Very Hard” or “Normal.” I just want to have some mindless fun, an easy excursion for the mind, body and soul.
Thankfully, Knights of the Round makes that a real possibility. Grabbing an extra controller, a friend, and setting difficulty the to “Easy” was the perfect way to start my weekend.
Continue reading “Top 100 SNES Review: #67 – Knights of the Round (1991)”
I finally came around to enjoy Prince’s socially conscious and eclectic album.
Rolling Stone’s Ranking: #93/100
My Rating:
Taking a look at the track listing, I recognized one song. This made me real excited. I loved the albums Purple Rain and the Love Symbol, so if this was going to be somewhere between those two, I knew it was going to be awesome. The space between the best, undeniably great songs on this album (track 1 and 13) was so vast it felt like mostly filler. I was so deflated.
It’s been around a year since I downloaded it. Somehow giving it tries at random intervals finally clicked. I still wouldn’t say this is grand material (and I would quickly recommend other albums in front of this one), but it’s a much better album than what my previous self would have considered.
Continue reading “Top 100 Album Review: #93 – Sign o’ the Times, Prince (1987)”
No reasons are required when blowing up things on perfect grids.
Sydlexia’s Ranking: #54/100
My Rating:
I”m not sure what to think of Bomberman as a person or symbol. Is he an underemployed fireworks pyrotechnic? A dissatisfied demolitioner? Why does everything look like Hello Kitty? Not to mention his environment: a perfect grid system that would put any major city to shame. Trying to tease out any more details would be an act of futility as the story proffers no more than a constant theme of destruction.
Continue reading “Top 100 SNES Review: #54 – Super Bomberman 2 (1994)”
Sydlexia’s Ranking: #55/100
My Rating:
Imagine, for a moment, that you are about to enjoy breakfast with your favorite cereal. To your chagrin, you see that someone accidentally bought you the Great Value version. When you finally pour it, it’s actually been replaced with cockroaches.
This is Battletoads for the SNES. It’s not a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video game. It’s not even a video game like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Hell, it isn’t even a video game. It’s a reaction time test where a series of impossible tasks have been curated for no one’s enjoyment.
Continue reading “Top 100 SNES: #55 – Battletoads in BattleManiacs (1993)”
The Album Where Lennon Bares All Leaves Me Asking — Would I Ever Want to Listen to These Songs Again?
Rolling Stone’s Ranking: #22/100
My Rating:
Many songs on this album are decent, but the big catch is that it’s all about John. These songs are deeply personal and pretty indulgent, a result of some alternative therapy Lennon was getting in California with Yoko Ono. Each song is from the first person perspective. He talks about his life, family, anxiety, politics, and fame. Some of the popularity stems from this — you really get to understand what John is thinking because that’s all he sings about.
This makes the material very awkward to listen to outside of the album, not to mention the duds. There isn’t one powerful single that can stand on its own merits. Trying to add any songs into my mega 70s playlist on Spotify makes little sense.
Continue reading “Top 100 Album Review: #22 – Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon (1970)”
Who needs the Holy Sabbath when you work part-time?
Sydlexia’s Ranking: #13/100
My Rating:
Saturday is the day I take to recharge and do absolutely nothing related to my grad school program. I’m working at a clinical rotation that is demanding with plenty of homework to boot, so it is nice to just have a full 24-hour period where I can do whatever else I want.
ActRaiser lets you emulate a local deity, be a mighty warrior, and oversee nation-building. The best part: it takes less than an 8 hours! Who else gets to say they created civilization on their day off?
Continue reading “Top 100 SNES Review: #13 – ActRaiser (1991)”
