Thursday, September 03, 2009

Review Day

There are no spoilers in these reviews.

Mort by Terry Pratchett:
In this fourth Terry Pratchett novel, Death becomes disillusioned with eternity and takes on an apprentice, Mort, to fill in for him while he tries various other occupations like short-order cook. However, when Mort saves a girl whose time was up, he accidentally turned the entire universe on its ear. Book 4 was as good as Book 3, and works well as a humorous, harmless diversion. I purchased the first four books up front, and based on them, I probably wouldn't read anymore unless I had a beach vacation coming up.

Final Grade: B+

Dexter, Season Three:
Dexter has been the most consistently good show I've watched on TV. This season is just as good as previous ones, though I felt like all the good storylines wrapped up before the last episode, so it wasn't as gripping of a finale.

Final Grade: A-

Paul Blart: Mall Cop:
This was a low-budget comedy with just a few interesting moments that kept it from being a complete waste. The lead seems to be trying to channel Jim Belushi and the supporting actress has eyes that are distractingly too large for her, or anyone else's, face.

Final Grade: D-

Portal:
This puzzly first-person-shooter came out years ago, but I just picked it up recently in my Orange Box purchase. You have a gun that can shoot holes in the walls, floors, and ceilings, one red and one blue. Walking through a red hole takes you to wherever the blue hole is, and you must reach an unreachable area on each level by walking through portals, manipulating buttons and boxes, and understanding gravity. The highly logical, entertaining puzzle game is wrapped in sardonic narration that ultimately reveals a crafty little storyline around the entire experience. It will only take a few hours to beat, but it's worth the time of anyone who likes puzzles and doesn't get dizzy in first-person games.

Final Grade: A

Darkly Dreaming Dexter:
This is the original novel that the Dexter TV show was based upon. The first few chapters are almost scene-for-scene identical to the TV show, but beyond that it has its own voice and plot. The book feels like a single episode of the show and doesn't resolve in the same way. Given the choice between the two, I'd pick the TV show.

Final Grade: B-

MIT creates new school of robotic fish
Man stole woman's car on first date
Company criticized for obscene candy wrappers

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