Quick thoughts on a film and Red Dead
Jan. 13th, 2019 08:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
between_time_and_42 Today I took a break from my obsessive Red Dead playthrough viewing to watch A Star is Born (the new one) with my family. All I really wanted to say about that film is wow... the script was so well-written, because it was so mundane. It felt (to me) exactly like how people talk in real life. Mad props to the scriptwriters on that. Also, I'd never seen any of the previous versions and was expecting a happy love story. I... was sadly mistaken. That ending damn near made me cry, it was so unexpected for me. Lastly, I take back all the negative things I said about Lady Gaga in 2010-ish because she was a pop musician and it was cool to dislike pop musicians. I should have never pretended I never rocked out to "Just Dance" and "Bad Romance" and "Poker Face." She can SING, man. Her jazz performances already taught me that, but seriously, seeing her essentially playing herself at the beginning of her career, trying to make it in the industry, almost made it hard for me to suspend my disbelief because how could someone who sings like that not immediately get signed??
Now I'm returning to Red Dead- I'm just shy of reaching part 50 in a 70+ part series- and before I proceed, I have to write down some thoughts.
1. I'm desperately in love with Arthur Morgan. Which I know is eventually going to present a major problem since, thanks to certain assholes on YouTube who get a kick out of posting spoilers for the sake of ruining the game for others, I know that he dies at the end. Never, ever decide that a character is your favorite, I tell ya... it just doesn't end well. Although now that I know he dies (and how it happens), I find it interesting to pick up on foreshadowing. Such as this cough he's been having on and off in the more recent parts. Honestly, though, the fact that a sick man coughed blood in his face earlier in the game (and eventually turned up dead) immediately clued me in that Arthur was not going to stay healthy. Right now what I'm most concerned about is that the gamer I'm watching has done enough good deeds to remain honorable and get the best ending possible (even though Arthur still dies, but hey... I don't want him to suffer any more than he has to). Something about Arthur reminds me a little bit of Max Rockatansky from the Mad Max movies, or at least Tom Hardy's portrayal of him- and he even looks a little bit like Tom Hardy too. Now this makes me want a real, live-action Red Dead movie with Tom Hardy playing Arthur (although I'm not convinced of his ability to pull off an American Southern accent). I also feel like I'm going to need to make a sad Western playlist once I'm done with the game. We'll see.
2. I'm no expert, but I feel like the gameplay for this could get really tedious after a while. It's very realistic- you have to take care of your horse so it doesn't die, and feed yourself so you don't lose weight, and go hunting for the gang so they don't starve, etc. etc.- basically, a lot of keeping yourself alive and in good shape, and I feel like I'd forget to do things like that. Not only that, but the missions were starting to get samey and predictable until chapters four and five- you'd start out with what seemed like a simple robbery or heist or some other form of mischief, then things would spiral out of control and you'd end up shooting your way out. But now that I've reached chapter 5, the location has changed and the story is picking up, so I'm a lot more interested.
3. So far, all the characters I really cared about sans Arthur (and John, who apparently is the protagonist of the first game so I know nothing bad will happen to him) are dead or missing. Specifically, Sean, Lenny, and Charles. I even shipped Charles and Arthur a little bit, so that particular blow was upsetting. (Although the game didn't specify whether he was alive or not after using himself as bait to draw the lawmen away... I hope we get some closure on that eventually.) Side note- speaking of shipping, I also ship Arthur and Mary-Beth a little bit, but unfortunately they've had very little interaction to go on (I definitely think she has a little crush on him, though). But anyone, speaking of death... although the deaths are emotional for me, I've been a little dissatisfied with how the characters have taken it. Hardly anyone even mentioned Sean's death after it occurred, and Lenny's death happened so quickly... not to mention, I was in disbelief when the only reaction to Charles' sacrifice was "What a beautiful act," spoken proudly, as if it was a good thing! I know these guys are hardened criminals who've seen it all and probably had plenty of friends die on them before, but like... would it kill ya to show a little emotion or at least recognition of what you've lost? Don't just brush Sean, Lenny, and Charles under the carpet like that, man... Although, they're in dire circumstances- on the run from the law- and probably just don't have time to grieve. They have their own ways of coping, too- Arthur probably uses his journal as a way to process his feelings. And that leads me into the next thing I wanted to talk about...
4. I'm pretty horrified at the depths to which Dutch is currently sinking (his most recent nefarious act was killing an unarmed woman whose greatest flaw was to be a little grumpy and short with them), but I really don't think he's exactly a bad man. That's not quite what I mean, but I'm finding it hard to phrase what I mean. All I can offer is this: I think the strain of being the gang's leader and constantly being the one everyone relies on for a plan, added with the inability to process his grief for the ones who've been lost, is taking a toll on Dutch's mental health and causing him to grow paranoid and greedy. I think Dutch cuts off the pain he feels and skips straight to anger, relying on that to fuel his decisions. Even though he's not a good person, I really, really like his character- hell, his charisma even worked on me at the beginning- and I really like the dynamic he has with Arthur- the shady father figure and negative influence, to whom Arthur is very loyal, but eventually I think Arthur's eyes will be opened to Dutch's faults and he'll reject him and try to shake off that influence. To quote Gwen Stefani, that kind of plot is "UH-HUH, THAT'S MY SHIT, THAT'S MY SHIT." Lol. I see in Dutch a bit of Walter White from Breaking Bad- he claims that his actions are all for his family, but eventually he loses sight of the end goal and becomes wrapped up in his quest for power, to the extent that he finally drives away the very family he's claiming to work for.
5. Speaking of Dutch, I honestly thought he was going to kill Hosea, and that would be the final breaking point in his relationship with Arthur (and the rest of the gang). I'm actually pretty relieved that that's not the case, even though it's sad that Hosea died. However, I do not foresee good things for Molly O'Shea's future... Best case scenario, Dutch explodes at her and she leaves the gang. Worst case... I really don't think Dutch would kill her, but... I'm scared.
I can't go on now, because I'm dying to keep watching more. I really hope I get to the end of this series by the end of this week.
Now I'm returning to Red Dead- I'm just shy of reaching part 50 in a 70+ part series- and before I proceed, I have to write down some thoughts.
1. I'm desperately in love with Arthur Morgan. Which I know is eventually going to present a major problem since, thanks to certain assholes on YouTube who get a kick out of posting spoilers for the sake of ruining the game for others, I know that he dies at the end. Never, ever decide that a character is your favorite, I tell ya... it just doesn't end well. Although now that I know he dies (and how it happens), I find it interesting to pick up on foreshadowing. Such as this cough he's been having on and off in the more recent parts. Honestly, though, the fact that a sick man coughed blood in his face earlier in the game (and eventually turned up dead) immediately clued me in that Arthur was not going to stay healthy. Right now what I'm most concerned about is that the gamer I'm watching has done enough good deeds to remain honorable and get the best ending possible (even though Arthur still dies, but hey... I don't want him to suffer any more than he has to). Something about Arthur reminds me a little bit of Max Rockatansky from the Mad Max movies, or at least Tom Hardy's portrayal of him- and he even looks a little bit like Tom Hardy too. Now this makes me want a real, live-action Red Dead movie with Tom Hardy playing Arthur (although I'm not convinced of his ability to pull off an American Southern accent). I also feel like I'm going to need to make a sad Western playlist once I'm done with the game. We'll see.
2. I'm no expert, but I feel like the gameplay for this could get really tedious after a while. It's very realistic- you have to take care of your horse so it doesn't die, and feed yourself so you don't lose weight, and go hunting for the gang so they don't starve, etc. etc.- basically, a lot of keeping yourself alive and in good shape, and I feel like I'd forget to do things like that. Not only that, but the missions were starting to get samey and predictable until chapters four and five- you'd start out with what seemed like a simple robbery or heist or some other form of mischief, then things would spiral out of control and you'd end up shooting your way out. But now that I've reached chapter 5, the location has changed and the story is picking up, so I'm a lot more interested.
3. So far, all the characters I really cared about sans Arthur (and John, who apparently is the protagonist of the first game so I know nothing bad will happen to him) are dead or missing. Specifically, Sean, Lenny, and Charles. I even shipped Charles and Arthur a little bit, so that particular blow was upsetting. (Although the game didn't specify whether he was alive or not after using himself as bait to draw the lawmen away... I hope we get some closure on that eventually.) Side note- speaking of shipping, I also ship Arthur and Mary-Beth a little bit, but unfortunately they've had very little interaction to go on (I definitely think she has a little crush on him, though). But anyone, speaking of death... although the deaths are emotional for me, I've been a little dissatisfied with how the characters have taken it. Hardly anyone even mentioned Sean's death after it occurred, and Lenny's death happened so quickly... not to mention, I was in disbelief when the only reaction to Charles' sacrifice was "What a beautiful act," spoken proudly, as if it was a good thing! I know these guys are hardened criminals who've seen it all and probably had plenty of friends die on them before, but like... would it kill ya to show a little emotion or at least recognition of what you've lost? Don't just brush Sean, Lenny, and Charles under the carpet like that, man... Although, they're in dire circumstances- on the run from the law- and probably just don't have time to grieve. They have their own ways of coping, too- Arthur probably uses his journal as a way to process his feelings. And that leads me into the next thing I wanted to talk about...
4. I'm pretty horrified at the depths to which Dutch is currently sinking (his most recent nefarious act was killing an unarmed woman whose greatest flaw was to be a little grumpy and short with them), but I really don't think he's exactly a bad man. That's not quite what I mean, but I'm finding it hard to phrase what I mean. All I can offer is this: I think the strain of being the gang's leader and constantly being the one everyone relies on for a plan, added with the inability to process his grief for the ones who've been lost, is taking a toll on Dutch's mental health and causing him to grow paranoid and greedy. I think Dutch cuts off the pain he feels and skips straight to anger, relying on that to fuel his decisions. Even though he's not a good person, I really, really like his character- hell, his charisma even worked on me at the beginning- and I really like the dynamic he has with Arthur- the shady father figure and negative influence, to whom Arthur is very loyal, but eventually I think Arthur's eyes will be opened to Dutch's faults and he'll reject him and try to shake off that influence. To quote Gwen Stefani, that kind of plot is "UH-HUH, THAT'S MY SHIT, THAT'S MY SHIT." Lol. I see in Dutch a bit of Walter White from Breaking Bad- he claims that his actions are all for his family, but eventually he loses sight of the end goal and becomes wrapped up in his quest for power, to the extent that he finally drives away the very family he's claiming to work for.
5. Speaking of Dutch, I honestly thought he was going to kill Hosea, and that would be the final breaking point in his relationship with Arthur (and the rest of the gang). I'm actually pretty relieved that that's not the case, even though it's sad that Hosea died. However, I do not foresee good things for Molly O'Shea's future... Best case scenario, Dutch explodes at her and she leaves the gang. Worst case... I really don't think Dutch would kill her, but... I'm scared.
I can't go on now, because I'm dying to keep watching more. I really hope I get to the end of this series by the end of this week.
