Week in Review #3

Only watched a whopping two movies this week and beat a game. I finished a book today.
Book Review:
The Stranger by Albert Camus
It was a short and easy read that confronts you with the question what if there is no meaning in life and in this world? The book seemed to glide and have an amazing pace to it. The protagonist was relatable yet immensely flawed. This is a book that Camus used to push his philosophy of absurdism, but never feels like he shoving his message down your throat which takes alot of skill. A great book.
**** out of ****
Movie Reviews:
1. Tokyo Drifter Directed by Seijun Suzuki
I've always wanted to see a film by Suzuki. Some say they are hard to understand, but I don't get how they are or at least this one. It seems very surrealistic especially during a brawl in a saloon. Very stylized to the point I would call him the Japanese Jean-Pierre Melville even though Melville never had enough money to make a film like this, used insane sets or would use color in the way this film does, but it just screams COOL like Melville's films. I want to see more of this director's work.
**** out of ****
2. Point Blank Directed by John Boorman
This film is very similar to the first one in the sense that it is COOL. A man seeking revenge yet doesn't get it. It seems very unrealistic, but in a way it is portrayed in a very realistic fashion which makes it very good. Lee Marvin is in it so thats another bonus. Very stylish just like the film above, but not as bizarre and brilliant.
**** out of ****
Game Review:
Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
This is one of the best first person stealth shooters I have ever played. I've played Deus Ex and hated it. I hate Splinter Cell. Thief: Deadly Shadows seemed interesting. This just seems to do it absolutely right. There is alittle RPG flavor to it with the increasing health bar and the interaction between inmates which leads to optional quests. The last part of it just seemed to fall into genre cliches with the action-packed shootouts and the use of a giant mech-like vehicle. The last boss seems fairly anticlimatic as well. Everything before it was amazing with the use scalpels and screwdrivers to take down enemies. There was some parts that seemed to drag like the dwellers and those funky creatures that explode when shot, but those sections didn't last too long. It is one of the few FPS's I have completed which means alot.
**** out of ****