Return to American McGee's Wonderland

I've always enjoyed video games. I've saved the world with Missle Command on my Atari system, twisted Greek mythology with Altered Beast on my brother's Sega, helped Mario jump through Super Mario Brothers on the Gameboy, screamed through Resident Evil on my brother's Playstation, stayed up until 3 AM playing Diablo with friends at a LAN party, laughed with Toe Jam & Earl III: Mission to Earth, shivered through Half Life, survived the quests in Fable and helped Ash save the world again in Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick on our X-Box. Even now, I am addicted to the simple puzzle game Zombie Pizza on my iPhone. As much fun as all those games were, and as varied as they were in their technology, styles and challenges, I've never, ever, played anything like American McGee's Alice.

I'm a big fan of all things Alice in Wonderland, so of course I was already hooked by the idea of the game and I couldn't wait to get it home and try it out. I was pleasantly surprised at the terrific playability of the game and was immediately sucked in. It wasn't just a mindless shoot-'em-up. It Incorporated all the best parts of all the different game styles and all of these aspects were executed with superb quality. The story was rich, the puzzles were challenging and suspenseful, the first-person action was intense, and all of it was laced together with dark humor, gorgeous art direction and some of the most beautifully haunting music (scored by Chris Vrenna, former drummer for Nine Inch Nails). This game had it all. And the individual challenges, levels, puzzles, etc. all contributed to the story and led to an ultimate and satisfying goal. Game designer, American McGee, certainly knew what he was doing. He created a world that I thoroughly enjoyed visiting.

The game takes place shortly after Alice's "Through the Looking Glass" adventure. Alice's house is burned down in an accidental fire, killing her family, and leaving her as the only survivor. Because of her survivor's guilt, she tries to commit suicide and is institutionalized in Rutledge Asylum. Now a troubled teenager, Alice is summoned one night by the White Rabbit, who asks her to help save a radically altered Wonderland, which has become a twisted version of itself under the rule of the evil Red Queen. Since Wonderland is actually a dreamworld created by Alice's mind, it follows that it has been corrupted and turned macabre by her insanity. If Alice manages to save Wonderland, she will save her sanity as well. A sarcastic Cheshire Cat is Alice's companion throughout the game, frequently appearing to guide her (and the player) with cryptic comments. Here's the trailer for the original game:


Since my time with Alice, I've been disenchanted with most of the current games and have drifted away from playing anything. I've tried out Rock Band and laughed at my terrible faux guitar playing skills. However, most of the games nowdays seem very testosterone-centric and very violent, with a lack of story or character development. I figured my video game playing days were over, and I was okay with that. (In case you didn't know, video games are very time consuming!)

Then, my dear friend Raven, (also a fan of all things Alice), pointed me to a link online - an announcement that sent my little Wonderland heart aflutter - American McGee is currently in production on a sequel to Alice! We both proceeded to jump around the room in utter excitement. Below are two conceptual art images from the new game. It looks like the next couple of years will be the year of Alice, with Tim Burton's film, and now this video game. I simply cannot wait! To read my other posts about Alice, just click here. (I'm surprised, for as much as I am obsessed with these stories, that I haven't written more about them!)

Please leave me a comment about your favorite video game when you were growing up, or that you're playing right now. Know of any good iPhone games?

Musical Interlude - 30 Seconds to Mars

I'm still getting back into the swing of things, in life and with my blog. I have several blog posts "on deck" that just need to be cleaned up, finalized and posted. Hopefully, I'll have one posted tomorrow. Until then, why not enjoy this little musical interlude...

I love 30 Seconds to Mars and I practically wore out their last CD, A Beautiful Lie, which was released in 2005. So I was very excited to finally hear new music from them. This is the song "Kings & Queens" from their new album This Is War, which is being released on December 8th. Jared Leto might be an eccentric and bizarre actor, but boy can he sing!

You Tube won't let me embed the video, so just click on the picture below and it will launch the You Tube video in a new window. If you like this song, why not check out their video for A Beautiful Lie, The Kill (the video is an homage to The Shinning), or From Yesterday. All their videos are very cinematic.

KINGS & QUEENS
by 30 Seconds to Mars

Into the night
Desperate and broken
The sound of a fight
Father has spoken

We were the kings and queens of promise
We were the victims of ourselves
Maybe the children of a lesser God
Between Heaven and Hell
Heaven and Hell

Into your eyes
Hopeless and taken
We stole our new lives
Through blood and pain
In defense of our dreams
In defense of our dreams

We were the Kings and Queens of promise
We were the victims of ourselves
Maybe the Children of a lesser God
Between Heaven and Hell
Heaven and Hell

The age of man is over
A darkness comes and all
These lessons that we learned here
Have only just begun

We were the Kings and Queens of promise
We were the victims of ourselves
Maybe the Children of a Lesser God
Between Heaven and Hell

We are the Kings
We are the Queens
We are the Kings
We are the Queens

Musical Interlude - My Chemical Romance

My Chemical Romance is probably one of my all-time favorite bands. There. I've said it.

For those of you who aren't in the know... My Chemical Romance (a.k.a. MCR) is an American rock band, which formed in New Jersey in 2001, one week after the September 11th attacks. The lead singer, Gerard Way, was working in New York and saw the planes crash into the towers. This prompted him to re-evaluate his life and he decided not to waste anymore time, but to go ahead and chase his dreams of having a band. He's also said that he wanted to make a positive difference in people's lives through music. Their music has been described as alternative rock, pop punk, and emo (which it is most definitely not), but I think it's just good straight-up rock and roll.

I'd always intended to include MCR on one of my "Musical Interlude" Monday posts, I just didn't think it would be this song. I was going to post a different song, but when "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" came up on my random playlist on my iPhone this morning, it was the right fit. This is not the first MCR song I heard that made me fall in love with them (that would be "Helena"). It's not even the best song in their portfolio (although it was their first single and it did receive a lot of radio play), but what it is, simply, is a good fast song to wake you up and get your blood moving first thing on a Monday morning.

The song is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek break-up song, about the frustration with a relationship that just didn't work. I also think it's a humorous response to one of those situations where someone breaks your heart or you've just been hurt really bad for some reason, then the person has the gall to ask if you're going to be okay, and most of the time, we answer, "Yeah, I'll be okay," to dimsiss them and let them off the hook, or to save face. This song starts out by saying, "If you want me to be honest, that's all you had to say, and no, in fact, I am NOT okay."

If nothing else, the video is clever. It's filmed like a trailer for a movie, and references a lot of the high school movie cliches, about being social outcasts. I especially like the little references to Heathers (one of my favorite movies) and I love the final joke at the end. I hope you enjoy it, but if not, that's okay. Variety of opinions and artistic expressions are part of what makes the world more interesting!



I'M NOT OKAY (I PROMISE)
By My Chemical Romance

Well if you wanted honesty,
that's all you had to say.
I never want to let you down or have you go,
it's better off this way.
For all the dirty looks,
the photographs your boyfriend took,
Remember when you broke your foot
from jumping out the second floor?

I'm not okay
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
You wear me out

What will it take to show you
that it's not the life it seems? (I'm not okay)
I've told you time and time again
you sing the words
but don't know what it means (I'm not okay)
To be a joke and look,
another line without a hook,
I held you close as we both shook
for the last time
take a good hard look!

I'm not okay
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
You wear me out

Forget about the dirty looks
The photographs your boyfriend took
You said you read me like a book,
but the pages all are torn and frayed.

I'm okay
I'm okay!
I'm okay, now(I'm okay, now)
But you really need to listen to me
Because I'm telling you the truth
I mean this, I'm okay! (Trust Me)
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
Well, I'm not okay.
I'm really not okay.
I'm not okay
I'm not okay(Okay)

13 Days of Halloween - More Lessons Learned

Hello, Faithful Readers! I apologize for not living up to my promise to do another 13 days of Halloween this year. Life happens, and unfortunately, the blog sometimes has to take a backseat. Even though I was unable to do all 13 posts, the good news is I think I can squeeze in one tonight!

For those of you who don't already know, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I thought I'd share another quick list of helpful things I've learned from Halloweens past. I'll summarize my list from last year, then continue it. If you'd like to read the breakdown of items 1 thru 8, you can read it here.

THINGS I'VE LEARNED FROM PAST HALLOWEENS

1. Temporary hair color isn't necessarily temporary.

2. If your costume comes with an explanation, you'll be better off finding another costume.

3. Never ever go first into the haunted house.

4. Wigs are itchy.

5. If the candy looks like it was made in the 70s, it probably was.

6. No one has the patience (or appreciation) for black and white horror movies.

7. Carving pumpkins isn't nearly as fun as it looks.

8. This tip is for all the kids... HIDE YOUR CANDY BAG!

9. If you've started a new job, ask around and make sure people dress up on Halloween BEFORE you decide to show up in costume.
There is nothing more embarrassing than showing up to work dressed as an evil witch with full-on face make-up and pointy hat, only to discover that your straight-laced uptight co-workers don't "do" Halloween. Well... I would imagine it would be. I mean, I would have never done that. Ahem...

10. If Halloween falls on a Friday or Saturday night, don't expect as many trick-or-treaters.
This may not be true for your neighborhood, but I've noticed that when Halloween falls on a weekend, instead of going trick-or-treating, people go to parties and such. In fact, each year, I've noticed a general decline in door-to-door trick or treating. This is probably because more people are participating in Trunk or Treat and other safer alternatives. Makes me kind of sad and nostalgic for the good old days, when neighbors all knew and trusted each other and you didn't have to worry about all the awful things parents worry about now days.

11. Fake blood stains EVERYTHING.
The label on the tube might say it's washable, but I have yet to find fake blood that doesn't stain your hands, stain your clothes, stain the countertop... So just use it wisely, keeping this in mind.

12. If you want a unique costume, check out Goodwill.
Most women are concerned about showing up to a party where someone else is wearing the same dress - a horrible faux pas. However, I'm always concerned about buying a pre-made packaged costume, for fear that there will be three other female vampires at the Halloween party, all with the same get-up. And I don't sew, which means I utilize Goodwill for creating my costume. One year I scored a lovely paisly headscarf, peasant top, old ratty crocheted shaw with fringe, and a really cool patterned, volumous skirt - I added a curly black wig and some big hoop earrings and was a pretty convincing gypsy fortune teller. I carried around a snow globe and would give it a good shake and forcast the weather. "Looks like snow tomorrow..." :)

13. Don't be THAT house.
You know, the one house on the street that passes out pennies or toothbrushes or pencils. If you don't have any candy, just shut the door and turn out the porch light. Word travels fast on the trick-or-treat streets about bummer houses, so you won't end up getting many visitors to your house anyway. The one exception I will make for this rule would be stickers or temporary tattoos, but only if they are really really good ones. ;)

14. There are lots of different kinds of horror movies - find out which ones your crew likes before you fire up the DVD player.
This could be an expansion or off-shoot of item #6. There are the thrillers (Rear Window), the gore-fests (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), the monster movies (American Werewolf in London), and the dark atmosphere type films (Sleepy Hollow) and the psychological thriller (Session 9). There's even the horror action flick (Alien) and humor horror (Shaun of the Dead). Find out where your viewing audience's preferences fall on the horror spectrum. It might turn out the most they can handle is It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. And that's okay. Be courteous, and don't give your Halloween party guests nightmares... unless of course, they want to have nightmares... bwah ha ha. :P

To read all 13 posts in last year's 13 Days of Halloween, just click here. Happy Halloween!

Musical Interlude - U2

Today should be the start of my 13 days of Halloween here on my blog, but since it's Musical Interlude Monday, and since I'm attending the U2 concert tomorrow night, (YES!!!) I've decided to break protocol and share a little music from our boys from Dublin.

I will admit, I was a little late to the U2 party. When they were hitting it big with "The Joshua Tree" album, I just didn't get them or their music. I suppose I should mention that they were hitting it big around the same time in my life when I was listening strictly to do-whop and oldies music. (I was a weird kid.) So I just wasn't listening to mainstream radio period. Flashforward a few years, and I guess my listening ears had matured enough to appreciate them. I've grown to love them more and more ever since.

Here's my favorite song by U2, called "Stay (Far Away, So Close)" from their Zooropa album. I love this song because of the word pictures the lyrics invoke, combined with the music. It really paints an image in my mind. And the metaphors or language chosen for the lyrics seems so simple but at the same time is so complex. Bono is a genius at turning a phrase. I also love how the song starts out so quiet and intimate, and then it grows in power and intensity and Bono's voice just breaks through and soars on the choruses. There are better songs in their catalog (especially ones that showcase the Edge's amazing talent more), but I guess this song just hits me in the right spot. I can empathize or relate to the desperation and longing in the song. It vividly reminds me of a certain time in my life... pretty cool, when music does that!

You Tube won't let me embed the video, so just click on the picture below and it will launch the You Tube video in a new window.

Stay (Far Away, So Close)
by U2
Green light, Seven Eleven
You stop in for a pack of cigarettes
You don't smoke, don't even want to
Hey now, check your change
Dressed up like a car crash
Your wheels are turning but you're upside down
You say when he hits you, you don't mind
Because when he hurts you, you feel alive
Hey babe, is that what it is

Red light, gray morning
You stumble out of a hole in the ground
A vampire or a victim
It depend's on who's around
You used to stay in to watch the adverts
You could lip synch to the talk shows

And if you look, you look through me
And when you talk, you talk at me
And when I touch you, you don't feel a thing

If I could stay...
Then the night would give you up
Stay...and the day would keep its trust
Stay...and the night would be enough

Faraway, so close
Up with the static and the radio
With satellite television
You can go anywhere
Miami, New Orleans
London, Belfast and Berlin

And if you listen I can't call
And if you jump, you just might fall
And if you shout, I'll only hear you

If I could stay...
Then the night would give you up
Stay...then the day would keep its trust
Stay...with the demons you drowned
Stay...with the spirit I found
Stay...and the night would be enough

Three o'clock in the morning
It's quiet and there's no one around
Just the bang and the clatter
As an angel runs to ground

Just the bang
And the clatter
As an angel
Hits the ground

Musical Interlude - Skillet

Here's a little music to round out our Monday evening. Take two guys and two gals who really know how to rock it out and what do you get? You get one of my favorite Christian bands (that actually gets played on secular radio stations - how cool is that?) - Skillet. My favorite song off their album Comatose is "Whispers in the Dark". Unfortunately, they haven't made a video for that song yet, so here's their video for another song off that album, "Rebirthing". Like what you hear? Check out the song "Savior". Their new album, Awake was released last month and the radio single "Monster" is worth checking out too. Enjoy!


"Rebirthing" by Skillet
I lie here paralytic
Inside this soul
Screaming for you till my throat is numb
I wanna break out I need a way out
I don't believe that it's gotta be this way
The worst is the waiting
In this womb I'm suffocating

Feel your presence filling up my lungs with oxygen
I take you in
I've died

Rebirthing now
I wanna live for love wanna live for you and me
Breathe for the first time now
I come alive somehow
Rebirthing now
I Wanna live my life wanna give you everything
Breathe for the first time now
I come alive somehow

I lie here lifeless
In this cocoon
Shedding my skin cause
I'm ready to
I wanna break out
I found a way out
I don't believe that it's gotta be this way
The worst is the waiting
In this womb I'm suffocating

[Bridge:]
Tell me when I'm gonna live again
Tell me when I'm gonna breathe you in
Tell me when I'm gonna feel inside
Tell me when I'm gonna feel alive

Tell me when I'm gonna live again
Tell me when this fear will end
Tell me when I'm gonna feel inside
Tell me when I'll feel alive

Of Clockworks, Corsets and Iron Horses

Picture from Gail Carriger.

Among my many interests, I am in love with Steampunk.

Steampunk is a sub-genre within fantasy/science-fiction, set in a re-imagined 19th century, usually around the time of the Victorian era, where advanced technologies have been created, but are still operated by steam-power and turn-of the century means. It's the fictional realization of the future, the way H.G. Wells and Jules Verne imagined it. It's industrial meets romance, cyborgs meets corsets, and computers meet dirigibles. I love the creative and novel ideas of steampunk. Just like when you eat something that is sweet and sour, and how those contrasting opposites make for an exciting dish, I love how steampunk blends Victorian romance with gearhead sci-fi fantasy.

Occasionally steampunk slips into mainstream culture. If you've ever read or seen The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Prestige, Stardust, Young Sherlock Holmes, or H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, then you've had a glimpse into the steampunk world. If not, then just Google "steampunk images" or "steampunk costumes" or search for "steampunk" on etsy and you'll see some exteremly fine, hand-made examples. (I must resist the urge to buy up all the steampunk jewelry on etsy. I love, love, love it!) The Steampunk Workshop also showcases some beautiful work. If I had a zillion dollars, I would commission one of their computer/keyboard mods like this one. Isn't it just wonderful?

Speaking of which, I'm pretty sure that one of their computers appears in a new TV show that I'm kind of in love with right now on the SyFy network called Warehouse 13. The show follows two Secret Service agents, Myka and Pete, who are reassigned to a mysterious government warehouse, where dangerous supernatural objects are kept, such as Lewis Carroll's enchanted mirror, Edgar Alan Poe's cursed writing pen, etc. For each episode, they are tasked to retrieve missing objects and investigate reports of new ones, all under the guidance of their super-smart, yet bumbling superior, Artie, and with the assistance of young gearhead genius, Claudia. The show is set in the modern day, but the artifacts they retrieve and the tools they use to find and store them definately have a steampunk flair. Check out the picture below of their "tesla gun", named after inventor and electrical engineer, Nikola Tesla. Appropriately enough, their tesla gun shoots a bolt of electricity that stuns the victim.
In some ways it reminds me of another show that I used to watch from the late 80's called Friday the 13th (no relation to the movies of the same name). In that show, all the objects in an antique shop were cursed, and in each episode the team tried to recover an object before it hurt anyone. That show had more of a horror twist, whereas Warehouse 13 has more of a sci-fi/steampunk twist. The season finale of the show airs next Tuesday (sorry I didn't blog about it sooner) but you can watch full episodes on SyFy Rewind online. If you've been watching this show, I'd love for you to leave me a comment. What do you think - is it fun, or does it cross the line into campy? What was your favorite episode? Favorite character?

It seems like steampunk might further be finding it's way to the mainstream, not just with this show, but with a new video game coming out from Disney called Epic Mickey. The game will be released for the Wii, and will be a trip through a fantastical dystopian Magic Kingdom. Below is a concept art image from the game.

If you've never heard of steampunk before, leave me a comment and let me know what you think. (It's okay to say it's weird.) Also, if you like the genre, I would definitely love any book or movie recommendations! Until next time, keep your goggles firmly on your head!