November 24, 2024

The Oscars show impresses

February 27, 2015 La Vista 0

By Ian Rapoport Executive Arts Editor When I sat down to watch the 87th-annual Academy Awards, I was disgruntled and annoyed at the thought of sitting through three hours of weak jokes and self-flattering speeches. […]

Editor’s Take: Movie theaters run the risk of disappearing

January 30, 2015 La Vista 0

Movie theaters just might be dying. In 2014, 1.26 billion people bought theater tickets in North America. While this initially may seem like a large sum, this actually marks the lowest attendance at theaters since 1995. While it may just be a bad year, changes in digital entertainment may make this the beginning of the end for theaters like Arclight and AMC.
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“Super Smash Bros” brings endless, silly fun

December 12, 2014 La Vista 0

Under the guidance of series director Masahiro Sakurai, “Super Smash Bros for the Wii U” contains everything that has come to be expected of the series: ridiculous gameplay with considerable respect toward the many games that are incorporated within it. The plethora of new ways to play a game that is, at its core, so much fun, makes the newest “Smash” a mastery of everything that has made the series one of the best in the industry.
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Baffling design decisions hinder “Mario Golf World Tour”

May 16, 2014 La Vista 0

As the newest release in Nintendo’s acclaimed “Mario” sports franchise, developer Camelot fails to do justice to the legendary series. While the game has a solid gameplay foundation and some fun mechanics, it is far too riddled with poor design decisions, robbing the overall experience of anything notable.
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Uninspired twists, protagonist hold back “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

April 25, 2014 La Vista 0

As the next film in Marvel’s behemoth “Avengers” series, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” proves to be a basic, easily-forgotten experience. Even though the film succeeds in being a thoroughly exciting flick, with constant action and upbeat writing, “The Winter Soldier” is marred by a lacking protagonist and a generally uninspired plot, robbing the film of any discernible aspects. […]

From Software’s “Dark Souls 2” astounds with inventive game, world design

March 20, 2014 La Vista 0

Like “Demon Souls” and “Dark Souls” before it, “Dark Souls 2” is a video game defined by its extreme difficulty. Video game developer From Software not only maintains the series’ precedent of challenging but fair combat, but the game is also refined, with minor tweaks across the board. This, coupled with the game’s distinctive multiplayer and massive open world, excels “Dark Souls 2” to heights not generally seen in a majority of video games.
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Vile, convoluted writing ruins “The Waking Engine”

March 6, 2014 La Vista 0

While first-time author David Edison’s novel, “The Waking Engine,” is founded around an intriguing concept, the results prove anything but. Edison does nothing worth while with the idea of life after death, as the story’s defining crux remains largely unexplored, boiling the novel down to a convoluted and, at times, a disgusting mess in terms of both the novel’s story and organization.
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