An online game that’s actually fun

Well, the stipulation is that the game’s fun if you’re into logic. Sudoku is a pretty simplistic game once you understand the rules. The rules are even simplistic. The game board consists of a 9×9 set of boxes that resembles a small checker board. Each row must have only 1 number from one to nine. Each 3×3 box must have only one number from 1 to 9. Those are the only rules. The game supplies you with a few blocks that are filled in to get started, but you must fill in the rest. The game is basically logical deduction. There tends to be one logical spot for each number which you can figure out little by little.

I finally took a serious look at this game after listening to a Slate podcast about an article written entitled “My Days are Numbered” by Seth Stevenson. You can find a daily, variety podcast slate offers at http://www.slate.com/id/2119317/ .

I checked out the Sudoku website to understand the rules, so I know what the hell they were talking about on the podcast. Over an hour later, here I am writing about my experience. The rules seemed easy enough and said a typical game usually only takes 20 minutes. Well, I was intrigued by the simplicity of it, and went ahead and tried a game. Thirty-eight minutes later, I’m finally done round one. I thought well, maybe it took so damn long because it was my first game. I tried again. My second game took me thirty-six minutes. Wow; I must suck

So after wasting almost an hour now playing Sudoku, I’m oddly intrigued to play another game; not now, but eventually. At this point I’m trying to see if it does get easier, and less time, the more times I play the game. Also, I do computer programming, so logic is something I’m very familiar with. Now, if I could only find a hobby that allows me to not think at all! 🙂

Till next time,

Kevin

[9/2/2006] Movie Review: Hustle andFlow

Hustle and Flow (2005) was not a traditional rags to riches story. It seems to me hard to dub a movie traditional when the main character is trying to rap his way to stardom with subject matters involving whoopin’ dat trick and how hard it is bein’ a pimp. Hustle and Flow however, seems to pull it off in a semi-believable way.

The movie stars D-Jay, Terrence Howard, who was in Crash and Ray. D-Jay is a down and out pimp who’s trying to rediscover what he wants to do with his life. After bumping into a friend from high school and getting some inspiration from a local bar tender who he’s selling weed to, he decides he’s gotta get out the rappin’ that’s going on in his head.

Howard’s acting is believable, even though he doesn’t look like much of a thug. His forceful confrontations with his hoes come across well. You can smell the air of desperation he deals with in order to provide from his family, if you can call it one. The family consists of a hodge-podge of whores, baby-mamas, and sure enough, babies. The desperation continues through the film and as the stakes get higher. Howard comes through with the crazy eyes as he pushes the character to the brink of insanity while still seemingly with his eyes on his goal of being a rap star.

The movie also calls for Howard to do a bit of freestyle flowin’ too. The freestyle was good and wasn’t over-played to the point that it became a music video. The director, Craig Brewer, did start to make it like a music-video with quick cuts in-time to the music, but it was used sparingly enough not to get too annoying. Some humor is added to these scenes by DJ Quall, who you’ll probably remember as the skinny, white kid from Road Trip. (Yes, he’s the kid who eats the French toast that the diner waiter wiped his ass with.) The humor lightens the mood of the almost always serious movie.

The tone of the movie is mostly dark and serious, except for the humor plugged into the rapping scenes. Long takes of the street-life in the beginning of the film set the tone for the D-Jay’s (Howard) hard lifestyle. These opening scenes seem to drag, but give the rapping scenes an odd sense of authenticity later. The rapping gains a level of urgency too, knowing that D-Jay’s flat broke and needs this break in order to continue living.

The direction is straight forward. There is some hand-held action for the more intense scenes of D-Jay ruffing up his hoes, but the main use of the camera is for story-telling. The editing was, more likely than not, used to tell the story as well. There are some quick cuts to add intensity to the more emotional moments of the film, but most time the editing is not noticeable.

The plot seems to wrap up too quickly at the end of the film and we’re left with only wondering if D-Jay’s character achieves fame or not. It could have been that the story was only about how D-Jay tried to jump start his rapping career, but with the time invested, it’s almost a shame we don’t see the outcome of his perseverance.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, but only give it a three out of five stars. The story succeeded with getting me emotionally involved with the characters in the film, but lacked an interesting or fulfilling ending.