Final Oscar Predictions

Alright, not much else to say for this post. Here are my FINAL predictions for tonight's Academy Awards:


Best Picture: The Social Network
Best Lead Actor: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Lead Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfield, True Grit
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Art Direction: Alice in Wonderland
Best Cinematography: True Grit
Best Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland
Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network
Best Documentary Feature: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Best Short Subject Documentary: Sun Come Up
Best Film Editing: 127 Hours
Best Foreign Language Film: Biutiful
Best Makeup: The Wolfman
Best Original Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network
Best Original Song: If I Rise, 127 Hours
Best Animated Short Film: Day & Night
Best Short Film: God of Love
Best Sound Editing: Inception
Best Sound Mixing: Inception
Best Visual Effects: Inception
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Best Original Screenplay: Christopher Nolan, Inception


(For more of BenBen's daily musings, check out the Twitter widget on the side of the page)

Tomorrow: Oscar Night, Monday: THE WORLD

Alright, folks, tomorrow's the big night. The climax to the past year in film, the film awards show to end all film awards shows. The 2011 Academy Awards are tomorrow night, and I hope you are all as excited as I am. Now, if you remember, I chose to "live blog" the last big awards show, the Golden Globes, via Twitter, and I originally planned to transcribe that "blogging" onto here. But, I got lazy, and Twitter booted me from tweeting for about 20 minutes, so I just decided against posting my thoughts here. But, I'll be doing things a bit differently for the Oscars.

While I'm sure I'll be tweeting quite a bit tomorrow night, that's not all I'll be doing to cover the show. I'll also be jotting down my minute-by-minute thoughts on the show, for a post that will be put on the BlogBlog directly after the Oscars. That way I can go into as much detail as I want about certain aspects of the show and its big winners, without having to deal with Twitter's limitations. But, there's a third thing I'll be doing that will most definitely satisfy those of you who want my opinions live as the awards are being given out.

Achievement Hunter, a video game website that I personally adore, will be hosting an Achievement Hunter TV broadcast on Ustream all about the Oscars, including pre-show predictions, running commentary of the awards ceremony, and prizes! I'll personally be there in the stream chat discussing with everyone else there, and I hope to see all of my faithful readers (if there are any of you) there, too. Follow the site on Twitter (@AchievementHunt) for more details. Also, here is the link to the AHTV Ustream page, where the festivities will be happening. So, until next time, I'll see you next time.

(For more of BenBen's daily musings, check out the Twitter widget on the side of the page, new to the BlogBlog)

Random Comic Book Movie News, and How!

Well, I just got back from a night over at a friend's, and I came on the computer to find that I've missed a bit of news overnight on some of the latest comic book film adaptations. So, let's rundown the stories and get my take on them, shall we?

-Henry Cavill is Zack Snyder's Superman. Well, he certainly looks the part. In fact, he has quite a striking resemblance to Brandon Routh, in my opinion. As some of you may know, I was of the opinion that the Powers That Be should just bring back Brandon Routh for this new Superman film. I thought Routh was a fine Superman, and saw no reason why the role should be recast. But, I guess it just isn't meant to be. I personally can't remember seeing Cavill in anything ever, so I can only hope that he can pull off the personality of both Superman and Clark Kent, as well as get the look down.

-They've shot actual web-swinging for the Spider-Man reboot. I actually think this is pretty cool. The only Spider-Man we've ever seen on the big screen was usually either maskless or computer generated, so to know that they're actually do everything they can to give us the realest Spidey ever is nice. This isn't the first reporting of crazy stunts from the reboot's set, so I hope they continue the trend they're setting. Hopefully the stunts will continue to go better than Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark's.

-Robin Williams is rumored to play Dr. Hugo Strange in The Dark Knight Rises. Oh hell yes. Williams seemed to be gnawing at the teeth to get a role in one of Christopher Nolan's Batman films, and I think he'd fit into this film like a glove as Strange. It also helps that I personally prefer Robin Williams in more dramatic roles. The sources reporting this are supposedly very trustworthy, so I hope it's just a matter of conformation now. If you want a taste of what Williams could possibly be bringing to the table in The Dark Knight Rises, I suggest you check him out in Insomnia, another film by Nolan.

All in all, I'd say that's all good news for those particular films. I'm kind of dreading the beginning of The Avengers filming, honestly, because it's going to make the wait for summer 2012 so much longer. On an unrelated note, I saw True Grit last night, and I'll be watching Winter's Bone and The Fighter today, so you should expect reviews for all of those films tomorrow. So until next time, I'll see you next time.

(You can check out BenBen on Twitter @CmdrBenBen)

Black Swan Quick Review

So, last night I decided to start cracking into the remaining Best Picture nominees that I hadn't seen yet. As the title of this review says, I started with Black Swan, the latest film from Darren Aronofsky. If you're unfamiliar with the film's story, it follows a young ballerina, played by Natalie Portman, who is chosen to play the Swan Queen in her dance company's production of Swan Lake. But, as Portman's character begins to feel the pressure from an overbearing mother, a new member of the dance company who she believes to be after her role, and a director who is determined to make her as perfect a Black Swan as she is a White Swan, she starts to seemingly lose her mind.

The story of the film itself isn't really that groundbreaking, but the setting helps to give it a different twist. I mean, has their ever been a psychological thriller about ballerinas? The film also does a great job of melding actual reality, and what Portman's character, Nina, experiences. This is done so well that you don't realize some of the film's events are hallucinations until it actually tells you. This adds to the film's tension, as you're never quite sure what's real, and what isn't. If I had to compare this film to anything, I would say that its much like The Shining, in that it also explores how a person can slowly lose their mind. Unlike Jack, however, Nina is much more of a sympathetic character, and you never feel that she is the film's antagonist, even when things start getting really crazy.

In case you hadn't heard yet, Natalie Portman knocks it way out of the park here, and should be the main reason you see this film. With a character like Nina, you have to believe every single ounce of the actor's performance, or the whole thing is pointless. Portman nails it on every level, from the sympathetic, fragile character she begins as, to ...well, I'll let you see for yourself what exactly Nina becomes near the end. It's a performance that deserves all the credit it's getting, and when all's said and done, Portman should walk away from this year's Academy Awards with an Oscar in-hand. The supporting cast, which includes Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, and Vincent Cassel, all put in some good performances as well, but it's really Portman's show, here.

While the film may not stand much of a chance in the Best Picture race, Black Swan does deserve the Best Actress trophy it will get Natalie Portman. Aronofsky assembled a fine film here, with a nice twist on a familiar story, a good cast and outstanding lead, cinematography that can be disorienting and crystal clear at any given moment, and a score that takes the music of Swan Lake and uses it as the perfect soundtrack to a dancer's downfall. I highly suggest you check this one out, even if I don't believe it would of cracked my personal Top 5 of 2010. But, it's time for me to move on to the next Best Picture candidate that I'll be seeing, The Fighter. Be sure to come back here tomorrow to see my review of that film. Until next time, I'll see you next time.

(You can check out BenBen on Twitter @CmdrBenBen)

The 2011 Oscar Nominees, Part 1

EDIT: There will be no Part 2 to this list. I honestly have zero to say about the remaining categories, as I don't feel knowledgeable enough about the technical categories. Regardless, congratulations to those who were nominated in those categories.

Well, it's that time of year again, folks. This morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their nominees for the 2011 Academy Awards. Overall, the nominations aren't that surprising, but there are a couple snubs that are worth mentioning. For convenience's sake, I'll post the list of nominees here, followed by my thoughts on said nominations. This is part 1 of 2, where I'll talk about the main categories. Part 2, which I'll post tomorrow, will focus on what doesn't get covered here, with a focus on the technical awards. So, without further ado, let's get to it:

Best Picture
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Thoughts: This category was pretty much sewn up about a month ago, except for the inclusion of Winter's Bone. That film squeaked in without much fuss, taking a spot that was seemingly going to go to The Town. The Social Network still seems to be the top dog here, and it's still my personal favorite, but The King's Speech could still take it as a "safe" choice for the Academy. We'll see what happens.

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David O. Russell, The Fighter
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
David Fincher, The Social Network
Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit

Thoughts: The big thing to notice here is the snubbing of Christopher Nolan for Inception. He's gotten the nomination at seemingly every other awards show this year besides the Oscars, where his spot has been taken by the Coens. Now, Nolan probably wouldn't of ended up winning, with David Fincher still being the favorite here, but he at least deserved to be nominated. Seriously, Academy, what in the hell does a guy as brilliant as Christopher Nolan need to do to get a nomination?

Best Actor
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours

Thoughts: Javier Bardem continues this year's trend of nominees somehow barely slipping into their categories, but he's apparently very good in Biutiful, so he deserves the nod nonetheless. Jeff Bridges just won in this category last year, so it's hard to think that he'd win it again this year. James Franco had a lot of momentum building up, but he kind of got lost in the shuffle recently. Colin Firth seems to be everyone's favorite, but I'd love to see Jesse Eisenberg take this one, personally. Then again, seeing how Franco is co-hosting this year's show, there's even a slight chance of him somehow ending up with this one. This is quite the interesting category.

Best Actress
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Thoughts: It seems like this category is Natalie Portman's to lose. Her performance in Black Swan has been talked about to no end, so she seems to be our safe bet here. I don't know much about the performances given by the other four actresses nominated here, but Annette Bening did win for Best Actress, Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes, so I think that puts here right behind Portman at the Oscars. But we'll see, we've got a couple indie darlings in here that could very well pull the rug from underneath the frontrunners.

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech


Thoughts: Yet another notable snub here, as Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, and Justin Timberlake all didn't get nominated for The Social Network. I don't think this was intentional, though, as Hammer and Garfield probably split the votes, causing them both to lose their potential spots. The only reason I mention Timberlake is because I personally think he had just as good a chance as the others. Anyway, Christian Bale has been getting a ton of praise for his role in The Fighter, but we've got a few good actors with good performances in this category. To me, this category is still up in the air.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom


Thoughts: I think most of what I said about the Supporting Actor category is applicable here. Melissa Leo seems to be our frontrunner, but any of these actresses have the possibility to take it. Especially Hailee Steinfeld, who's been getting as much, if not more, praise than Leo. This one should be interesting as well.


Best Animated Feature
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3


Thoughts: Dreamworks has been campaigning hard for How to Train Your Dragon, but I can't see anyone other than Toy Story 3 winning here. I've talked about how much I love that film, and Pixar definitely deserve to win in this category once again. Now, when it comes to The Illusionist, I can't say much, because I've barely heard anything about it. With that in mind, I think it has very little chance to beat Toy Story 3.

Best Original Screenplay
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

Thoughts: As much as he probably won't win it, I'd love to see Christopher Nolan take this one home for Inception. It'll probably go to The King's Speech, but if this award is to go to the most "original" screenplay, it should be Inception. None of the other films nominated are more original than Inception, and I hope the Academy recognizes that.

Best Adapted Screenplay
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone


Thoughts: I'm not even going to talk in-depth about this category, because it's so obviously going to be won by Aaron Sorkin's amazing work on The Social Network. There's really not much else to say here. If you've seen The Social Network, you'll know why Sorkin's got this one wrapped up.


Best Foreign Language Film
Biutiful, Mexico
Dogtooth, Greece
In A Better World, Denmark
Incendies, Canada
Outside the Law, Algeria


Thoughts: I have literally seen nothing and heard little about all these films. So, I'm just going to say that it's between Biutiful, who's lead is nominated for Best Actor, and In A Better World, which one at the Globes.

Documentary Feature
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land


Thoughts: I've only heard tremendous things about Exit Through the Gift Shop, so I'd assume it'll take this one home. I haven't seen it yet, but I will be seeing that film and Restrepo very soon. Based on premise alone, though, Exit Through the Gift Shop sounds like an amazingly interesting film. I can't wait to check it out.


Original Score
How to Train Your Dragon
Inception
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network


Thoughts: Let's talk about another snub, shall we? I don't care what your opinion on Tron: Legacy is, but Daft Punk should of been nominated for their score. I mean, The Social Network's score is very good, as is Inception's, but I keep going back to the Tron: Legacy score. I feel myself re-experiencing the film every time I listen to it, and it should of been nominated over How to Train Your Dragon. But, seeing how things played out, I think it's really between The Social Network and Inception. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross created a simple but wonderful score that really suits the ever-building tension of the film. Inception, on the other hand, features yet another booming and masterful score from Hans Zimmer, who's work really completed that film's atmosphere. Both are worthy nominees and possible winners.

So, that about does it for Part 1 of the 2011 Oscar nominees. Tomorrow I'll take a look at the technical awards and everything else that didn't get covered here. So, until next time, I'll see you next time.

(You can check out BenBen on Twitter @CmdrBenBen)

Thoughts on Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

About an hour ago, I finally completed my playthrough of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. I really enjoyed the game, and I would definitely say it's the best game in the series so far. The actual gameplay is left pretty much unchanged from Assassin's Creed II, but that's not really a fault. The combat in the series has always been fun and rewarding. Sure, the game doesn't boast the most challenging fights, but racking up counter kill after counter kill is still massively entertaining. The introduction of secondary weapons for certain weapons (i.e. sword with pistol) also gives the combat a bit more depth, and gives you some more variety for your kills. Also, the new execution streak system is ridiculously fun if performed well.

Another great thing about Brotherhood is that you'll always have something to do, with side missions now in abundance. Borgia towers, Romulus lairs, assassination contracts, missions where you set off to destroy Leonardo da Vinci's war machines, and more leave you with plenty to do in-between main missions. Collectable feathers return, but are in much smaller numbers than the Borgia flags which you'll also have to collect. There's still view points for you to jump off of to complete your map of Rome, and Rifts found using Eagle Vision give you puzzles to solve to unlock The Truth. And, on top of all of that, pretty much all missions have special objectives that you must complete to achieve 100% synchronization for the mission, giving you incentive to replay missions.

The major addition to Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is the Assassin recruits. With the burning of every Borgia tower, you gain the ability to recruit another possible Assassin. Your recruits can then assist you in battle, gaining experience with pretty much everything they do in a fight. You can also send your recruits on missions to other cities in Europe, where they'll gain experience and earn you money, but at the cost of not having those recruits at your disposal in battle for a certain amount of time. After you rank up a recruit to level 10, you'll get to witness their induction into the Assassin Order. All in all, the system of micro-managing your recruits is very addicting, and adds a new amount of depth to the Assassin Creed's series that I hope we continue to see in future games.

I haven't talked about the story of the game yet, because I feel like it's best not to comment about it in-depth. Like the other games, it's great, and it left me wanting the next game terribly. I will suggest that if you haven't played the first two games in the series, that you should before playing this one. The Assassin's Creed story is really one that should be experienced in full. But, to wrap things up, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is extremely addicting, and easily the best game in the series so far. I suggest you free up plenty of time to play the game, because you're gonna have a hard time putting it down.

Oh, and about the multiplayer: I haven't played enough of it yet to form an opinion. But it's decent, from what I can tell. Not much else to say about that.

(You can check out BenBen on Twitter @CmdrBenBen)

The Golden Globes

Earlier today, I remembered that the Golden Globes were on tonight, and I panicked a little. I mean, the Globes are the Spike Video Game Awards of film, but they still deserve some coverage. Well, they don't really deserve coverage, but they're not going away, so you might as well watch them. If I was more familiar with Blogger, I'd be running a live blog right here when the show starts. Instead, I'm gonna post my thoughts and commentary via Twitter, and then transcribe all of that to this post tomorrow. So, if you wanna know my thoughts on the Golden Globes, make sure to watch my Twitter @CmdrBenBen.

Until then, I'm gonna watch the Patriots hopefully make a second half comeback. At this point, "hopefully" is the keyword.

My Top 5 Films of 2010

Last year was an important year in film for me, mostly because of how film has affected my own life. I made some personal discoveries about how much I actually love movies, partially thanks to taking a film studies course during the last school year. I have become so infatuated with film over the past twelve months or so, that I even decided that I wanted to study film in college and hopefully find myself in a career making movies several years down the line. It was an amazing feeling, finally finding the one thing I would love to do with my life.

So, needless to say, the number of movies I saw last year definitely increased over past years. I found myself going to more movies on my own than I had before. Because of this, I have been able to formulate my list of the best five films I saw last year. There are several films from the end of the year that I haven't gotten to see yet, which I'll talk about in a little bit. But, without further ado, here's my top five films of 2010:

5. Tron Legacy

Yeah, this is a bit of a controversial pick on my part. A lot of people did not like this movie, but I truly can't understand why. The acting is good, nobody turns in a bad performance. Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner return to their roles in good fashion, but I wish we had gotten more Tron in the film. Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde do good as well, with Wilde delivering the film's standout performance as Quorra. The effects were absolutely amazing, and the 3D was very well done. In the environment the filmmakers created, I had no problem buying into the de-aging effects used on Bridges and Boxleitner. And who could forget Daft Punk's amazing score? Some people say that the plot was hard to follow and almost non-existent, but it's not. During my viewing, I never felt that things were left unexplained, or that the characters' motivations were unclear. The plot isn't fantastic, but it is there. All in all, this film was a great comeback for Tron, and I can't wait to see where they go with the third film.

4. Toy Story 3

Alright, let's cut right to the chase: like most people with a heart and emotions, this film nearly brought me to tears. I can proudly admit that fact, because it goes to show, once again, that only Pixar can get this kind of response out of their viewers. Toy Story 3 was an absolute gem, easily one of Pixar's finest films, and a great way to end the saga of Woody, Buzz, and all of our favorite toys from Andy's room. While the film still caters to a younger audience, people who grew up with the first two Toy Story films will find that the story has matured with them. I know I personally grew up with those films on a constant rotation in and out of my VCR player, and this film hit me in a hard way. I'm trying to stay away from spoilers, but as most people can tell you, the last 20 minutes or so of the film are devastatingly powerful. While it's sad to know that we won't be getting another adventure with these characters, this was a great way to end what is now one of the best film trilogies of all time. Pixar, you've done it again.

3. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

This film should have been one of the biggest hits of the year, but sadly it fell on its face at the box office. It's a shame, too, because Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is AWESOME. Director Edgar Wright once again takes comedy to a whole other level with his latest, but that was to be expected. The entire cast of this film is absolutely brilliant, everybody brings their A-game. Michael Cera breaks out of the normal awkward guy archetype as the titular character, and it's nice to see him doing something different for a change. The rest of the ensemble cast all have their moments as well, but to me the best of them all is Kieran Culkin as Wallace Wells, Scott's gay roommate. Sadly, he's not in much of the film, but when he is, he definitely has some great moments. The visual style of the film is unique and fresh, and the fights are fast-paced and action-packed. You can tell everyone who worked on this movie had a blast making it. The editing is tight and moves the film along at a blazing pace, and the soundtrack is great. While Scott Pilgrim vs. the World didn't get its day in theaters, the cast and crew can rest assured that it will continue to be enjoyed by its fans forever.

2. Inception

Christopher Nolan's long awaited follow-up to The Dark Knight did not disappoint, and it ended up being one of the best films of the year. The concept of using dreams to steal information and plant ideas in people's heads is original and great. While a direct sequel is pretty much out of the question, I hope we get to see the concepts and ideas introduced in this film again at some point. The plot uses these ideas to give us some tremendous visuals, from a car chase in a stormy city, to an arctic finale straight out of a James Bond film. Wally Pfister, the film's director of photgraphy, did some wonderful work on this one. The entire cast pulls their weight, with Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt turning in particularly good performances. Hans Zimmer's score is booming and intense, adding tension at some times and levity at others. To sum it up nicely, Inception is some of Hollywood's finest coming together to make the biggest, and one of the greatest, films of 2010.

1. The Social Network

If you had told me that there was a film that I would love more than Inception at the beginning of last year, I would of laughed in your face. In retrospect, that would of been a bad idea, because The Social Network is an absolute masterpiece. The films that are listed under this one are great, but The Social Network transcends to another level. David Fincher, Aaron Sorkin, and their amazing cast took one of today's hottest commodities in Facebook and told an amazing story of two friends torn apart through success. Jesse Eisenberg puts on one of the best performances of the year as Mark Zuckerberg. He is cold, calculating, and thoughtful at a genius level, and Eisenberg pulls it off brilliantly. Andrew Garfield also puts in a great performance as Eduardo Saverin, Zuckerberg's one and only friend who ends up getting stabbed in the back. It's truly a tragic story, and these two play it out amazingly, making you feel sadness for both of their characters when the film reaches its climax. Armie Hammer is very good as the Winklevoss twins, and Justin Timberlake surprises all with how good his turn as Napster co-founder Sean Parker is. Sorkin's dialogue is pleasing to the ears, and firmly grabs your attention. Finally, to add to the ambiance of the film is Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's amazing score, which is powerful in a calm, looming force sort of way. I literally cannot find a fault with this film. Its powerful, its emotional, its thought-provoking, and its an instant classic. It is also the best film I saw in 2010.

So, that's my list. I should mention that I haven't had the chance to see True Grit, Black Swan, The King's Speech, The Fighter, 127 Hours, Blue Valentine, or The Kids Are All Right yet, but I truly feel those films wouldn't have affected this list in any way. So, what do you think about this list? Is it solid, or is it a mess? Let me know in the comments below. But until next time, I'll see you next time.

(You can check out BenBen on Twitter @CmdrBenBen)

The Intro

So, I guess it's time to introduce myself to you all (or reintroduce myself to any readers who may know me). My name's Ben, on the internet I go by BenBen. Why? Because A) I'm very unoriginal with names, B) BenBen's just plain fun to say, and C) That's actually been my nickname for the majority of my life. Anyway, enough about my name, it's pretty unimportant in the whole scheme of things. What you're reading right now is, of course, my blog. But what exactly will this blog consist of? Well, if you'd care to do a little reading, you'll find out.

So, there's a big, long, contrived reason about how this blog came to exist. But, instead of retelling that story, I'll just link you to here. That post has the whole reasoning behind why I decided to start this blog, as well as a little bit about what my plans are, which I'll explain better in this post. I'm getting a little ahead of myself here, so let's skip back to what type of stuff you'll be seeing on this blog. My favorite things to discuss are film, video games, and music, and you'll be seeing pieces about all those topics here ... for the most part. Again, I'm getting ahead of myself, so now would be a good time for a paragraph break!

I'm an avid user of Twitter, and sometimes I like to abuse the concept of the service. By abusing the service, I mean posting hardcore, 15 tweet-long rants about stuff people probably don't want to read about at that moment in time. Instead, when I have a thought about some sort of news, I'll jot it all out here. That way all of my thoughts are in one, easy to access place, which will be more convenient for myself and everybody else. But, what I just said is essentially the concept of a blog, right? So what am I doing differently?

Well, you'll be seeing actual writing pieces here, mostly editorials. Sure, the kinds of posts I talked about above are kind of like editorials, but the actual editorials you're gonna see posted will be longer, and thought through a bit more. Also, they'll be a little less common, because they take more effort to write. I hope to get some sort of release schedule going once I find my stride, but until then it's sort of a "wait and see" kind of deal. The editorials on this blog will mostly be about film, but I'll post a few musical ones here and there as well.

I'll also be writing editorials about gaming, but they'll be released on the journal that I linked to above. I'm a huge fan of Rooster Teeth Productions, but I'm particularly a member of their Achievement Hunter community. Achievement Hunter is a website that was originally started to produce guides to help Xbox 360 players get achievements, but now it's become a bit more than that. Either way, the community for the site is amazing, and I'm happy to a part of it, and to know many of the more "prolific" members of the community as well. But, in a community where producing content is the norm, I found myself sticking out. So, I decided to host my gaming editorials strictly on my Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter journal. Don't worry, every time I post a new one I'll link to it in a post here, as well as give you a little preview of the piece.

I think that covers pretty much everything. I know you're all tired of reading my words, so I'll try to keep this conclusion short. Basically, I started doing all of this to do something I like doing, while also voicing my opinion in a more open and maybe even inviting format. I hope any who read this blog will enjoy what they find, from people I know, to strangers I haven't met. Also, I hope my opinions will begin new discussions about things, but I might be getting a little too ambitious with thoughts like that. So, until next time, I'll see you next time. 

(You can check out BenBen on Twitter @CmdrBenBen)